I didn't Forget
by neverland01
Summary: 6 years after their adventures in Neverland, neither Peter or Wendy has forgotten, yet Wendy is now 18, and, inexplicably, so is Peter. Can Peter reclaim his hidden kiss before it's too late? COMPLETE!
1. Back in Never land

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Notes from the Authoress: hey everyone! ellie here, and it's 9:30 on Sunday night and I am posting my first wendy/peter fic ever!!! *does happy dance* I'll try and update as soon as possible, I'm counting on every two days, so read and review please!! (*huggles*  
  
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'Let us take a peep into the future...a fair Wendy, in her nursery.the window is shut!'  
  
'I'll open it!'  
  
'I'm afraid the window is barred.'  
  
'I'll call out her name!'  
  
'She can't hear you....she has forgotten.'  
  
'No! Wendy!'  
  
'And what's this I see? There is someone in your place....he is called husband...'  
  
"Wendy!"  
  
Peter woke up with her name on his lips. He looked up from his bed and into the twisted knots of the tree, and as always, he smiled when he saw them. They were the same color as Wendy's auburn hair, which he remembered quite clearly.....how it pooled around her face when she slept, and how peaceful she looked.  
  
Then he thought of his dream. Hook was dead, and the lost boys, Michael and John were gone, and Wendy-his Wendy-was gone.  
  
She had left him to grow up, to become a woman, because even when he had held her in his arms as they danced among the fairies-that one achingly beautiful moment of love in bloom-he could feel it. He could feel that his Wendy was destined to grow up, to forget.  
  
But Peter faced another dilemma. He no longer looked like the impish boy of 10 or so that he had 6 years ago. He was without a doubt much taller, with a more muscular, toned body, and his face and voice were not those of a child. He looked like he was perhaps seventeen.  
  
He hated it. He didn't understand, and neither did Tinkerbell, who continued to grow more and more distant from Peter as he continued to change and grow. She had stayed the same demure, bitchy little faerie that she had always been, and couldn't bring herself to face the fact that Peter was growing up.  
  
So, as he stared at the ceiling of the hideout with the silence of his own loneliness pressing deafeningly on his ears, he made a decision.  
  
He had to go back to London. He had to see Wendy again, one last time. She would know why he was changing, why he wasn't a boy anymore. And he would get to see her face again, her pale, beautiful face....he shuddered. Ever since she had kissed him that day 6 years ago, he had been a flurry of confused feelings.  
  
'But they can't be love, they just can't be! I don't love. I can't.' he thought to himself.  
  
"Tink," he whispered, "Tink!"  
  
In a flash she was by his side, an apprehensive look on her tiny features.  
  
"Don't look at me like that, Tink, you never used to! It's the same with everyone! I'm going back to London, Tink, I'm going back so that Wendy can tell me why I'm so different. She'll know for sure, don't you think?"  
  
Tinkerbell looked away, stifling a yawn.  
  
"I don't know what's happened to you, Tink. I don't know what's happened to Neverland; I don't what's happened to me! I don't know anything anymore." 


	2. A Darling Farewell

Meanwhile, back at the Darling's house....  
  
Wendy unlaced her unbearably tight corset, wincing and breathing great sighs of relief as each string was loosened. She slipped out of her needlessly frilly dress and into her nightgown.  
  
'Damn these godforsaken things! You'd think fashion was out to kill the female gender!'  
  
Wendy looked into the mirror. My, time had flown, and she had grown with it. She was now 18 years old, with a much more filled out figure and a grown-up sort of grace that had not been present before. Her eyes were still the same, good-natured pools of sky-blue. Her auburn hair, which had once settled freely on her shoulders, was now drawn up into a simple bun.  
  
Wendy no longer lived in the nursery with John and Michael. In fact, she had moved out some time ago into her own room--a quiet, ladylike place with plain blue walls and a frilly bed. There were no toys on her floor and her books were tucked neatly away in a shelf in the corner.  
  
She missed reading her books. With her parents constantly forcing her to socialize and do a woman's chores around the house, she barely ever had time to sit down and think anymore, never mind read.  
  
'What's happened to me in these six years? Where is the old me? Where is.where is.Peter's Wendy?'  
  
She blanched at the thought as she looked at her window. Although she no longer slept in the nursery, she had kept her window open every night for the past six years, often waiting up long past midnight ....her breath bated, hoping, - praying even....that maybe Peter Pan would fly in."  
  
Oh, how she missed Peter. She would look every night, searching the heavens for the second star to the right, but could never seem to find it. How lucky that he was to be young and in Neverland forever! He would probably never have to worry about the grown-up things that were a burden on her mind; he would probably never have to feel heartbreak for the rest of.....forever!  
  
It didn't seem fair. Ever since he had left her, she had known that he was the only person who her kiss belonged to, and it hurt her more than anyone could possibly know or see that she couldn't be with Peter.  
  
How lucky that he was to be young forever! He would probably never have to worry about the grown-up things that were a burden on her mind.  
  
But tonight was different.  
  
'It's time that I give up this childish game. He's never coming back, I don't even know if it ever happened anymore. It's gotten to the point where all I can see in my dreams is his face, that can't be healthy.'  
  
Wendy slowly walked over to the window, and lifted her shaking hands. Her skin had turned pale. Slowly, ever so slowly, she inched the window closed.  
  
Closer....closer....only a breath of air left now.  
  
Click. The window was closed. After six years of crying, praying and hoping, it was time for Wendy Moira Angela Darling to grow up.  
  
She crawled into her bed and pulled the covers tightly up to her neck. She closed her eyes.  
  
"Peter.....come back....."  
  
And the tears began to fall. 


	3. An Encounter in the Nursery

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Notes from the Authoress: Hey guys, ellie here! Thanks for all your reviews, its definitely inspired me to continue with this one. I didn't really have much to say on the last chapter, but these are going up kind of fast, so I'm just gonns warn you that the next chapter is probably gonna take longer than the first three, so bear with me, mmmkay??*kisses*  
  
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A flight from Neverland.  
  
Just past that second star....yes, he could see it now. The picturesque buildings of London rising majestically into the sky, the simple shingled roofs; the tapered steeples of churches.  
  
Peter was flying just above the rooftops of London now, but he wasn't interested in seeing anything in the city, he knew exactly where he was headed. He could see the small yet pretty house right in the heart of the city, and he could see the window where he had first met Wendy so many years ago.  
  
He alighted on the balcony and looked peered into the closed window. The room was almost exactly how he remembered it, with the exception of the six new beds where the lost boys slept.  
  
'I guess they aren't really lost anymore, are they?? They have a real mother and a father now. Wendy was an amazing mother. '  
  
He opened the window as quietly as he could. He could immediately tell that it had been closed for quite some time, it was almost stuck to the sill.  
  
'Wait; I thought that Wendy promised to keep the window open for me for when I came back to hear stories. Just how long has it been since I left?'  
  
Peter climbed through the window and into the nursery of the sleeping children. There they all were, John, Michael, the lost boys....Peter's heart stopped. Where was Wendy? Why wasn't she sleeping in her girl-bed with the heart carved into the headboard?  
  
He tiptoed towards the door of the room, but somehow managed to slip on a toy arrow. Slightly's, no doubt. He fell to the floor with a crash, and the children awoke with a start.  
  
John jumped out of bed.  
  
"Who are you? Get out of this house right now, intruder, or prepare to face your death!" John brandished a flimsy wooden sword that Peter recognized as Wendy's old toy.  
  
"John, John, it's me, Peter Pan! I've come back!" Peter said, pushing John's arm back down by his side.  
  
The lost boys and Michael quickly jumped from their beds and raced to where Peter stood, eager to see if it was really him.  
  
"Why, Peter, it is you! How jolly good of you to come and visit," John said, and then gasped, "Look at you! You're so much taller than you were! Peter....you've....you've grown up!"  
  
Peter's eyes clouded over with anger. "Don't say that, John, don't say it! I can't bear to hear it."  
  
"Why are you here, Peter? Why did you wait six whole years to come and visit again?" Michael asked. He looked like he was perhaps twelve or thirteen now, almost the same age Wendy had been when they had gone to Neverland.....he had that same innocence in his eyes as she had when she had accepted his invitation.  
  
"I've come to see Wendy. Where is she? Why doesn't she sleep in the nursery anymore? Has she....has she....died?"  
  
John laughed, and then grew serious. "No, Peter, she moved into a room of her own quite some time ago, I do believe she's given up on waiting for you to come back! She's stopped playing with us and telling us stories, she stopped maybe a year after we returned from Neverland. Mother and Father gave Wendy her own room, it's very grown-up and plain. Ladylike too. But she misses you Peter, I can tell because for the longest time I've been walking past her door late at night, and I can hear her laying in her bed and crying, wishing that you would come back. She's become quite the boring girl, if you ask me."  
  
The other boys nodded in agreement.  
  
"Aye, she's never quite as cheerful in the morning and at breakfast as she used to be, she used to have all these interesting ways of helping our dear mother make breakfast, but now she's waking up all late and the like, and half the time she doesn't even eat! I don't see how, a lad like me self would go stark raving mad if I didn't eat. I love to eat," Slightly declared.  
  
Peter smiled. Still the same old Slightly, just a bit older than he remembered.  
  
He faltered. After hearing how his absence had broken Wendy's heart, he wasn't sure if he could face her. But he had to. He had to know why he was growing up, and he had to see his Wendy again. To prove to her that he had kept his promise, and returned.  
  
"Where is Wendy's room? I have to go see her."  
  
"But she's asleep!"  
  
"I don't care, where is it?" Peter demanded, somewhat frustrated.  
  
Michael smiled. "Second room to the right."  
  
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Afterthoughts: Hey guys, thanks for bearing with me hear, I know its kind of slow!! Don't worry, major Wendy/Peter interactions coming in chapter four! I kind of wanted to put it in this chapter, but I decided that it'd be better if it had its own separate chapter. Well, I'm gonna go to bed now.looking forward to that music theory quiz!!!!  
  
~BYE~  
  
Ellie*huggles*  
  
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	4. It's Been Six Years, Where Have You Been...

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Notes from the Authoress: Hey guys, ellie here, it's 9:30 on Tuesday night and I just finished writing chapter four, so I really hope you like it! All of your great reviews have really inspired me to continue with this story, especially since it's really my first really serious fic ever. Love you all, thanks for your support!!!  
  
*kisses*  
  
Ellie  
  
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Second room to the right....that sounded awfully familiar.  
  
Peter crept down the hallway, stepping lightly so as to not wake Wendy's parents. This.....this.....house as they called it-it was like nothing he had ever seen or experienced. It was so small and closed off from the world, very different from his home back in Neverland, which was so natural and open. He reached the second door on the right side of the hallway, a plain, whitewashed door that seemed to scream 'Don't enter, you indecent fool, there's a lady sleeping in here!'  
  
But true to form, he didn't listen to the whispered warning, and turned the knob slowly, hearing a gratifying click as the door opened.  
  
'Please let her still be my Wendy.....Tell me she hasn't given up.'  
  
The first thing he did when he entered the room was look around. This room was nothing like the nursery; no, he never would have expected to find his Wendy sleeping in room like this. The walls were a pale blue, with a trim of white flowers carved delicately around the ceiling. The room was covered by a thick white carpet that appeared stainless, much unlike the nursery carpet, which was stained beyond repair with food and goodness knows what else. Her clothes were neatly sorted in a closet to his left, and in the corner of the room her books were tucked squarely away in a nondescript shelf. The books were a tad dusty, it looked as though she hadn't picked up her favorite stories in a long time.  
  
He wondered why. Did she not love stories anymore? She hadn't become . practical, had she? He certainly hoped not.  
  
And in the center of the room was a bed that was shrouded in sky-blue gossamer curtains. He could hear light breathing coming from inside, and swallowed nervously. He was about to lay eyes on the girl whom he had not seen in six years; the girl who had given him her hidden kiss; who had tortured his feelings and dreams every night, night after night. Was she still his Wendy?  
  
He was about to find out.  
  
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The draperies surrounding the bed were closed. Peter took hold of them and with a deep breath, swung them open. He couldn't look down at her just yet.  
  
But he did.  
  
There lay his Wendy, asleep, a vision of loveliness, maybe even more so than she had been six years ago. Of course she was still his Wendy, what had he been worried about?  
  
But she had definitely grown. But in his eyes, it wasn't quite as bad as he had thought. In fact, he found that he liked the change.  
  
Her blue eyes were closed in slumber, and her auburn hair framed her pale skin and full red lips. She was taller; her quilt didn't quite reach her neck anymore. She had definitely grown, Peter could see curves that hadn't been there before, and her blanket clung to them in a shapely form. Her chest rose and fell with her small breaths, and Peter was entranced.  
  
He hovered over her sleeping form, looking directly down at her face. She was like a doll, one of those things that John and Michael had in the nursery.  
  
He stretched his hand and touched Wendy's cheek, which still had faded paths where her tears had rolled down her face.  
  
He traced her face, her neck, all the way down to the base of her throat, where he felt something. It was a chain! His heart jumped. Had she really kept his kiss after all these years? Yes! There is was, alive as ever, with the arrow hole still carved into its front. She hadn't forgotten! She hadn't given up! If she had, she would have thrown his kiss away a long time ago, wouldn't she?  
  
Such a simple thing, just an acorn kiss......and yet it meant so much to him that she had kept it.  
  
"Wendy." Peter breathed, "My Wendy."  
  
He hadn't meant to disturb her, but he heard a gasp, and Wendy's eyes flew open. She shrieked.  
  
"P-P-Peter??? Peter PAN? Is it really you?" she breathed, staring into his eyes in amazement.  
  
"Yes, Wendy, it's me, I've come back." Peter smiled at her.  
  
She looked at him, her lower lip trembling. "No.....no, stop playing such cruel tricks on me.....it can't be you, not after all these years.....no, why are you doing this to me? I must be dreaming!"  
  
She began to cry, fresh tears rolling down her cheeks and falling onto the blanket. Her body shook with her sobs as she pulled Peter into a crushing embrace. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and held her close to him while she cried, and shushed her as he rocked back and forth.  
  
After a few minutes she broke away from him, and looked at him with a mixture of pain and confusion. There were still some stray tears on her face, and his heart broke for her. How could he make her feel better?  
  
Impulsively, without thinking, his hand strayed past her cheek and entangled itself in her beautiful auburn waves. He tilted his face down towards her, and saw her eyes close. He brought his face down to hers.....but then they heard John down the hall.  
  
"Peter, have you found Wendy yet? You're sure taking your time!"  
  
The pulled apart, flushed.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Wendy asked candidly, wiping the remaining tears from her face.  
  
'I wasn't really going to give her a thimble, was I? Of course not, I was just comforting her.....' Peter thought to himself reassuringly.  
  
"Wendy, I'm not the same person I was; I'm growing up and I don't understand it, and I need you to tell me why!" Peter said in a strained voice.  
  
Wendy turned on her lamp and took a good look at Peter for the first time since he'd arrived.  
  
"Why, Peter, look at you! You're practically a man!"  
  
"But why?"  
  
"Oh, Peter, how could I possibly know? I haven't laid eyes on you in six years, there's no way that I could why you're so....so.....grown up all of the sudden!"  
  
Looking at him, Wendy could definitely see the change. He was more muscled, taller; he looked like he was her age. It was like he had grown up right along with her. But his blue eyes still had the same mischievous sparkle that they had always had.  
  
"Well, I-I suppose that you can't return to Neverland looking like that, so I guess you should stay with us for the time being.....although I doubt mother and father would want you hear; especially when.....when.....well, that isn't important now."  
  
She smiled sadly.  
  
"Why don't you go back to the nursery, I'm sure the boys could accommodate you in some way. Go along now, it's very late!"  
  
Peter began to walk out of her room when Wendy called to him.  
  
"Oh, and Peter?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I miss you."  
  
Peter smiled. "But I'm here!"  
  
"I know," said Wendy morosely, "I know."  
  
But she also knew that he had come too late.  
  
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Afterthoughts: Ok, onto chapter 5!!! I think that these chapters are going to take increasingly longer to write, the first 3 were just introduction, so they were pretty much a breeze.....but here comes the real tough part!!! So keep on reading and reviewing, and have a LOVELY weekend!!!!  
  
*MWAH*  
  
Ellie  
  
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	5. The Hectic Morning

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Notes from the Authoress: Here's chapter 5!!! Not much to say but read, review and enjoy!!  
  
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Wendy woke the next morning in a sort of confused haze. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, trying to sort out last night's events in her head. Had she just imagined it, or had Peter really come back? And had they almost....well, that was impossible.  
  
But she heard the boys jumping out of their beds down the hall and calling things such as "Peter, play swords with us!" and she knew that she hadn't been dreaming. That realization was both joyous and heartbreaking at the same time.  
  
She climbed out of bed and pulled on her blue robe. Usually she put her hair up before breakfast in order to put off a good impression in case they had any guests, but today she was just too emotionally drained.  
  
Wendy turned to leave her room but the door was flung open before her hand was even on the doorknob. It was her mother.  
  
"Wendy! Oh, thank goodness your still here, that boy who you claimed to have run off with six years ago is in the nursery; but how could he be a boy, when he looks like a man? And the boys are saying that you invited him to stay here?! Wendy, who is he?" she cried accusingly.  
  
"Mother, Peter is.....he is.....he is the boy that I ran off with. He can fly, you know. He is the boy who I had those adventures that I told about with. I don't know why he's returned mother, but I am ever so happy to see him! I've missed him so. Can he not stay? I'm sure that he wouldn't be much of a bother. He's ever so kind!" Wendy pleaded, her eyes threatening to spill over again.  
  
"Well.....I suppose he could. But for now let's just go and eat and try and break this to your poor father in the easiest way possible, darling. Come."  
  
So the mother and daughter ascended the steps to the parlor with the same kind of grown-up grace.  
  
'It's just one more thing that makes me like my mother. It's just one more thing to tell me that I've grown up,' Wendy thought bitterly.  
  
They entered the dining room, where Mr. Darling sat reading his paper and drinking his morning coffee.  
  
"Ah, good morning, my angel, how was your rest?" he asked as Wendy came over and gave him a kiss on the cheek.  
  
"Well, actually father, that's something I wanted to talk to you about. You see, do you remember when we disappeared for so long, and then came back through the nursery window?"  
  
Mr. Darling looked visibly pained at the thought.  
  
"Well, I had been trying to forget, it was a rather painful memory...." he grumbled.  
  
"Well, father, the boy that we ran off with--"  
  
"WHAT? It was a boy?!! Why are you just telling me this now? What indecent things--"  
  
"Father, listen! Nothing 'indecent'-as you so vulgarly put it-happened, the boy taught us to fly, and now he's returned! And if you don't mind, I told him that he could stay here for the time being."  
  
"NO! I will not have strange boy in our house! What will the neighbours think if some flying hooligan is living under our roof? Absolutely--"  
  
"Wendy! You're actually up for breakfast this morning! Decided that you miss food?" said John, who was standing in the doorway with Michael, the lost boys and Peter.  
  
Mr. Darling looked at the vine covered boy in shock.  
  
"I-I-I-THIS is the boy that you ran off with? He's no boy, he's a man! And you're telling me that nothing indecent happened? Look at him!!! He's wearing vines, for god's sake!"  
  
Peter walked over to Mr. Darling and held out his hand. "Sir, I would be honored if you would let me stay at your house. I promise to be quiet."  
  
Mr. Darling looked at Peter as though he had something stuck in his teeth. He was obviously impressed with his manners, but still put off by clothing. And the fact that he had been in his daughter's room in the dead of night. He shook Peter's outstretched hand cautiously.  
  
"Well I-I suppose you could.....stay here, for a little while. Boys, you may take your breakfast in the nursery this morning, and take this boy with you, see if you can find him somewhere to sleep for the time being."  
  
The boys disappeared up the stairs, and they pulled Peter up with them. His eyes met Wendy's for a second, and lingered there as he smiled at her. And then, with a wink, he disappeared upstairs too.  
  
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"Wendy, darling, don't eat too much today, or that corset won't fit around you're waist for tonight."  
  
Wendy shuddered just thinking about corsets. She was slender as it was, corset's made her feel as though she was going to die form lack of oxygen. What pained her even more was the thought of having to go to the party tonight. So that she could-no, her parents could-well, she didn't want to think about that. But today might be her last day of freedom before a living hell began. It was even worse that Peter had to be here for it all.  
  
"Wendy!" Her mother's voice called her back from her thoughts. "Go draw a bath for yourself, go along now, it's almost half past 3! We have to leave around half past six if we want to make it to the party on time. And trust me, my dear, this is not a party you want to be late for, what with me and your father having to make arrangements and everything...."  
  
She was dreading tonight.  
  
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Afterthoughts: Ok, that was chapter 5!!!! Hope you all liked it, and i hope you come back for chapter 6!!!  
  
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	6. The Definition of the 'M' Word

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Notes from the Authoress: Hey guys, I actually finished chapter six much quicker than I had expected! Unfortunately, this cycle of fast chapter is slowly drawing to a close, the next chapter is the party, and I'm afraid you might be kind of unhappy with how that one turns out, but bear with me and I'll try and make everyone happy!  
  
Love you all,  
  
~Ellie~  
  
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"Mother, I can't hardly breathe; must I wear a corset? I don't think I'm fat." Wendy breathed, wincing as her mother laced up another hole on her corset.  
  
"Of course you're not fat, darling, but corsets are the fashion these days and if we want to stay high in society then we have to keep up with the latest trends, hmmm?"  
  
Wendy nodded, frowning. She hated the damn things. They were like something she had read about in books, the Chinese Art of Foot binding. A way to keep women submissive and dainty, and in pain.  
  
But looking at herself in the mirror, even she had to admit that she looked stunning.  
  
Her dress was a soft yellow, with a gauzy, shimmering train and shawl. An empire waist gave the gown a renaissance feel, and her wavy hair was piled loosely atop her head, with a white flower setting off her pearly complexion. Her mother had done her makeup for her, and had brought out her beautiful read lips and blue eyes; as well as her perfect cheekbones.  
  
"If he didn't think you were beautiful before, he certainly will now," Mrs. Darling murmured a she finished lacing Wendy's corset. It really was unfortunate that she had to wear the thing; really, it made her look very emaciated.  
  
"Mother," Wendy began, "Who was your first love?"  
  
"Why, your father, precious. Why?"  
  
"Well, is he the one your hidden kiss belongs to? Is that why you married him?" Wendy asked, fearing her mother's response.  
  
"Oh, my kiss never belonged to anyone else, dear. I truly love your father, as he loves me. The one who your kiss belongs to is always your true love. But these days...." she trailed off, and her eyes clouded over, "These days it is expected that you should marry one who can support you and look after you only financially. It's a pity, but if you can find someone with enough money to do just that, then it doesn't really matter if your kiss belongs to him or not. You have to make it belong to him."  
  
Wendy was quiet for a moment. "I wish we could still love the way you and father did! It must have been ever so romantic.....how terrible that I must become a woman under such circumstances."  
  
Mrs. Darling was lost for words. She only smiled at her daughter sadly, and then tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry it has to be the way too, my love. I truly am. But it must be this way. Now, I'm going to go get ready myself, the carriage will be here quite soon. Make sure you have everything you need before we leave, alright?"  
  
Wendy nodded, and Mrs. Darling swept gracefully out of the room.  
  
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Peter walked down the hall; he walked all the way to the second room to the right. John had mentioned that Wendy and her parents were going to a party tonight, and he wanted to know what exactly the party was for. They had had all sorts of parties back in Neverland, but he was sure that the parties in London were very different.  
  
He knocked on the door. "Wendy? It's Peter."  
  
"Oh, Peter, do come in!"  
  
He opened the door quietly and stepped in; and his heart stopped.  
  
What he saw before him was something more beautiful than he had ever seen in his life. Even more beautiful than a sleeping Wendy. His Wendy looked like a fairy in a shimmering yellow gown and a flower in her hair. His breath was caught in his throat, and when he opened his mouth, nothing came out.  
  
And at that point, all the confused feelings rushed back into his existence. His defiance against the feeling of love started to crumble, and all that he could see was Wendy. His Wendy. He wanted to run to her and hold her in his arms, and tell her he loved her. But he didn't love her. That wasn't possible. He dismissed the thought as yet another one of his impulsive moments.  
  
"You look beau-I mean, you're-I mean-I like your dress." Peter said dejectedly. He couldn't say what he wanted to say.  
  
"Thank you," Wendy said softly. They stood and stared at each other for a minute.  
  
"Wendy, I heard your mother and father talking about 'arrangements'. Wendy, why are you going to this party? Wendy? Are you ok?" He asked as Wendy bit her lip, trying not to cry.  
  
"Peter, earlier this year my parents and I went to an affair at the governor's summer house. This was after father was promoted from clerk to manager, so at that point we were going to a lot of parties. So, at this one party, I was introduced to the governor's son, who wouldn't leave me alone for the whole party. I couldn't stand the way he looked at me throughout the whole evening."  
  
"And?" Peter wasn't liking the sound of this at all.  
  
"And before I knew it, before the evening was even over, my parents had jumped at the opportunity to make arrangements with the governor. All because he's a wealthy man and can support....me."  
  
"But I don't understand; what does this have to do with tonight's party?"  
  
"Peter-tonight is my engagement party. Peter, I'm being married of to Sir Edward Dean, the governor's son. Don't you understand?"  
  
Peter shook his head worriedly.  
  
"Married? I don't think I'm familiar with that word. But Wendy, this 'marriage' is hurting you, why are you doing it? Can't you tell your parents that you don't like 'marriage'?" he asked desperately, stepping forward and grabbing Wendy's hands, looking into her eyes.  
  
Wendy tore her hands from his, tears falling out of her perfect blue eyes, tracing her doll face.  
  
"Oh, Peter, of course you wouldn't understand. You're just a boy."  
  
She turned and walked out of the room, and Peter followed, confused.  
  
"But Wendy!" he called out to her from the top of the stairs as she began to ascend them.  
  
She turned and looked at him for a moment.  
  
"It was just a dream, Peter," she whispered, and then turned and fled down the stairs.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Peter sat in the nursery with John and the lost boys. Nibs and Tootles were playing swords in the corner, he could make out sounds of "Die, Hook you villain!" and "I'll cut off your other one, you rapscallion!"  
  
He smiled. They weren't thinking all of the confusing thoughts that burdened his mind. He wished he was a boy again; but when he thought of Wendy his want faltered, and he was drawn more towards her world.  
  
"John, what's a marriage?" Peter asked suddenly.  
  
John looked at his feet. Well, Peter, I don't know if it's really my place to tell you but . but marriage is...."  
  
Peter looked eagerly at John, awaiting his response.  
  
"Marriage is...."  
  
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Afterthoughts-Muahahahahaha, major cliffie! But don't worry, I'll try and have chapter 7 up sometime in the middle of this week, I'm starting new classes this week so I might be a little pressed for writing time. But keep on reading and reviewing, that's my major source of motivation here, and tell a friend about 'I didn't Forget' so that I can get some more feedback, because it really helps hone my writing skills. (  
  
I love you all,  
  
~Ellie~  
  
(O, and Shelly? You're my hero ()  
  
Oh yes, and one more thing: would anyone like to beta my story, because I'm a little self conscious about putting out the chapters without some editing from people besides myself. I already have Athena on the job, but anyone else who wants to please email me @ clefai405@aol.com, thanks so much!!! *makes googly eyes*  
  
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	7. An Awfully Traumatic Experience

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Notes from the Authoress: Hey guys, ellie here! Great news: I saw Peter Pan for the 5th time last night! I really do think that I'm going into psycho mode, it's just not healthy. Anyways, thanks to everyone who reviewed chapter six, and bammaslamma, you asked for more detail so check it out and see if I did any better! Keep reviewing guys; it's completely my source of motivation, aside from my love of writing. Unfortunately, I am in an opera right now and the director is FLIPPING OUT! But that's beside the point. I thought that I had a plan for this story, but these damn characters really do have a mind of their own, they just seem to do whatever they want. Oh well. By the way, I've treated you all to an extra-long chapter this time, because I know my previous ones were kind of short. Unfortunately, this has got to be your fix, I think after this they're gonna go back to regular- length, mmmmkay? Keep reading and reviewing, it's much appreciated!! I LOVE YOU ALL ~Ellie~  
  
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The room was silent. All the boys were now looking at John and Peter. Peter sat on the floor looking expectantly at John, awaiting an answer to his question.  
  
John didn't want to answer Peter's question. Not only would it be difficult to explain, but when and if Peter understood, he would probably be heartbroken. John could easily see what Peter and Wendy couldn't; he could put into words what they couldn't say to each other. How was Peter going to react? How on earth was John going to explain this delicately? Beads of perspiration appeared on his forehead as he became aware that all eyes were on him.  
  
"Peter, when a girl grows up, she is expected to have children and to raise them to become good adults as well. Now, in order to have these children, she needs a husband." Peter stared at John, bewildered. That sounded just absurd to him.  
  
"Wendy doesn't need to marry. She can find the children on her own! Why does she need a husband to help her find the children? And what's a husband?"  
  
John sighed. This was going to take a long time. He could hear muffled laughter coming from the boys. "Now this is where the term 'marriage' comes into play. You see, in order to get a husband, you have to marry a man. A marriage is two things, really. The actual marriages is a ceremony in which the man and the woman exchange vows that they will spend the rest of their lives together, and love each other forever. The woman gives the man a kiss, or a thimble, I guess. The second part of a marriage is that the man and the woman spend their entire lives together."  
  
Peter's insides tightened. Wendy was marrying the governor's son, so that must have meant that she loved him. He couldn't bear the thought of it. Also, didn't her thimble belong to him? That's what she had said when she'd given it to him. But maybe it was pretend, like she's said earlier. "But that doesn't explain why she needs him to find the children," he said defiantly.  
  
John sighed. Peter was never going to understand this part of a marriage, so he decided it was best to make up his own explanation. After all, Peter would be happy with whatever he told him, and he'd be none the wiser. "Well, the woman needs a man to help her find the children because there is just so much housework for her to do that the man has to do the child- hunting. But the woman helps to find the children with whatever time she can spare away from her housework." There. It was a perfectly reasonable explanation, and he had managed to sidestep the real one.  
  
"And they're in-in love?" Peter asked quietly. He couldn't even look at John anymore. "Yes."  
  
"But what is love exactly?" Peter had a vague idea, but he wanted to be sure. He needed to know. 'Finally, something I can actually answer,' John thought with relief. "I can't say I've ever been in love myself, Peter, but Wendy has told me the most-ahem-interesting things about it. When you love a person, you think about them all the time."  
  
'I think about Wendy all the time.'  
  
"When you're in love with someone, you always want to be with them."  
  
'I always want to be with her.'  
  
"You can't imagine life without them."  
  
'What would life be like without Wendy?' Peter thought. He tried to imagine it, but he couldn't. Life wouldn't be worth living without his Wendy.  
  
"You want their-erm-thimble to belong to you and only you. You get insanely jealous at the thought of them being with someone else besides you."  
  
Peter thought of the governor's son, Edward, and Wendy becoming.married. He thought of Edward receiving Wendy's hidden kiss. The one that she had promised to him forever. His stomach tied itself in a knot and his blood boiled. 'This must be what jealousy feels like,' he thought to himself.  
  
"And that's what love is," John finished. "Thank you, John. I think I'm going to go to bed now." The boys began to protest. "But Peter, it's still so early! Don't you want to play pirates with us? You can be Long Tom! Michael's already got dibs on Hook," Tootles proclaimed.  
  
"No thanks," Peter said wearily. "I just don't feel like playing games tonight." And with that he walked over to the bed that the boys had made up for him, leaving the gaggle of disheartened boys behind. "You sound just like Wendy when you talk like that," Nibs called after him.  
  
But Peter wasn't listening. He was too busy thinking. Everything John had said about love was true. He was feeling everything; his senses were in overdrive when he was around Wendy. There was only one simple explanation for all of his tortured dreams for the past six years.  
  
Peter Pan, the boy who didn't have to bother with grown-up feelings-  
  
Peter Pan, the boy who didn't grow up-was in love.  
  
He could finally admit it to himself. It was all so clear now. He wondered why he hadn't seen it before. His heart burst with the joy of this knowledge, and the entire night sky seemed to shine one hundred times brighter than it had before. And it was all because he was in love with Wendy.  
  
His Wendy.  
  
"I love you, Wendy-girl."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
But as soon as the stars and the moon brightened, they dimmed again as a terrible thought hit Peter. Wendy was to be 'married' to Sir Edward Dean, the governor's son.  
  
She loved him.  
  
A lone tear slipped down his face.  
  
Wendy could never be his.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Meanwhile, at the long-awaited engagement party  
  
Wendy shivered against the cold night air as she was helped out of the carriage along with her mother and father. The house that they had stopped in front of was no ordinary house - it was an extraordinary house. It was a gargantuan structure of marble. Corinthian columns spiraled into the night air, supporting the canopy of white marble shadowing the front stairs. The gardens and fountains that surrounded the mansion were all aglow, and the twinkling lights in the flowers reminded Wendy of the dancing faeries she had seen so many years ago.  
  
She winced at the thought. Any thought or memory that involved Peter made her heart break. Immediately after she had fled from him she had felt terrible, and she was fraught with the fear that he might have flown home- without ever saying goodbye. But she had other things to think about now.  
  
She jolted back to reality as her mother nudged her and whispered, "Wendy, Sir Edward is waving at you! Aren't you going to acknowledge him?" Wendy waved sheepishly at the young man that awaited her at the entrance of the house. He was a good-looking young man, with dark hair that was slicked back formally, and he wore a princely suit. His eyes were a dark hazel, and they appraised her every step. She felt naked under his gaze. It was very disconcerting. Edward was notorious for being a 'player', as they called it, and everyone had been surprised when he had wanted to marry Wendy.  
  
"Ah, my bride to be; Wendy, my love, how are you?" Edward said in a cool, smooth voice that sounded like almost-frozen water. He took her hand and kissed it, his eyes on her face the entire time. "Do come in, Wendy dearest. Yes, and hello, Mr. and Mrs. Darling! What a certainly fine night to have our party-so glad you and you're enchanting daughter could make it. And might I say you look lovely this evening, Mrs. Darling."  
  
"Oh dear, you are such a charming young man," Mrs. Darling gushed as they began to walk inside. He led Wendy inside by her arm - a little too forcefully it seemed to her. It made her uncomfortable the way he looked at her the entire time.  
  
The grand hall in the governor's house was enormous. The ceiling must have been up around one hundred feet, and its beautiful dome was decorated by paintings of cherubim and seraphim playing their harps and singing. There were multitudes of beautifully dressed men and women, all who looked as though they came from supremely wealthy households. A group of distinguished-looking men sat in a corner with music stands and violins, where they were serenading the chatting guests. A long table was set up near the other end of the hall, where the places were set in the most elaborate way; Wendy guessed the two chairs in the center were for her and Edward.  
  
"Wendy! How wonderful to see you! How do you do, Mr. Darling, Mrs. Darling?" Edward's father, the governor himself, had come over to greet Wendy and her parents. He was a jovial, good-natured man who was quick with his sometimes harsh comments.  
  
"Lovely, sir; thank you," Wendy said quietly, curtsying before Edward took her hand again and led her down the stairs. "This is going to be quite the party, my love," said Edward as he whirled her away onto the dance floor.  
  
Wendy sighed inwardly. It was going to be a long night.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
After the festivities had died down a bit, Wendy found herself, Edward, and everyone else seated at the long table, preparing for dinner.  
  
The governor stood up and rang his glass with his spoon, and all eyes turned respectfully to him. "Lovely ladies and gentlemen, tonight is a special night indeed, for tonight is the night that the engagement of my son, Sir Edward Dean, and the enchanting Ms. Wendy Darling is official! I wish only the best to them as they prepare for what will most certainly be the most memorable day of their lives. So I ask you to join me in a round of applause for our young lovers!"  
  
Edward stood up and pulled Wendy with him. He kissed her, and she recoiled. It was a cruel, commanding kiss that made her stomach lurch. The grand hall erupted with applause as the violins began to play again.  
  
Once dinner was well underway, Edward took a moment to lean over to Wendy. "You look just delightful, you beautiful creature," he whispered into her ear, and Wendy wrinkled her nose in disgust. His slimy manner sent uncomfortable chills down her spine.  
  
"Thank you sir," she said coldly, and turned back to her food. But Edward wasn't finished.  
  
She felt his hand snake up her leg, and she drew away quickly. "Why do you shrink away from me? We're going to spend the rest of our lives together, you might as well get used to my more-forward-actions." Wendy stared at him in disgust. How could someone so cool and clean looking be so sleazy and disgusting? She was still very aware that Edward's eyes were glued on her, and her heart was racing in fear.  
  
She turned to her mother, who was chatting happily with the governor and his wife, who was wearing more jewels than she had ever seen in her entire life. "Mother, I'm not feeling very well all of the sudden. I think it might be the food-might we leave now? I think I might be sick." Mrs. Darling looked at her daughter's pale face worriedly and said, "Of course dear, right away. George, dear, Wendy's feeling under the weather, I think we should be going home now."  
  
Mr. Darling looked pained from being drawn away from his discussion with the governor, but complied with his wife's pleading face, and excused himself and his family. Mr. Darling; who looked quite displeased indeed, turned to the governor and said in a strained voice, "I'm terribly sorry but I fear my daughter has taken ill-but we appreciate your hospitality immensely. I'm sure Wendy would like to thank you also-Wendy?"  
  
He glared at her pointedly, and she stood at attention.  
  
"Thank you ever so much for having us, governor, it was a truly splendid party," Wendy said, curtsying deeply.  
  
"And thank you so much for coming, Wendy dear, I am so happy that Edward has finally found a girl worthy of his affections," The governor said warmly, bowing slightly to Wendy, "In fact, I'm sure he'll be happy to see you three out to your carriage. Edward?"  
  
So Edward followed them outside, where he shook Mr. Darling's hand and helped Mrs. Darling into the carriage. "Allow me to bid my fiancée farewell," he called into the carriage, and he shut the door.  
  
He grabbed her waist and brought her to him so that their faces were less than an inch apart. She could feel his breath mingling with hers, and it made her sick. "You're going to be mine very, very soon, Wendy Darling," he hissed, "You're going to be MY wife, living under MY roof!" Wendy couldn't breathe. Her corset and her fear took all the air out of her lungs. "Now," he continued. "You'll do as I say and be a good, quiet wife, is that understood?" Wendy nodded, tears forming in her eyes. "Good," he said, and let go of her.  
  
"Well then I guess this is good night, my love." He helped the shaking Wendy into the carriage and closed the door. Wendy watched out the carriage window as her fiancée grew smaller and smaller as they proceeded down the road.  
  
'My life is a living hell,' Wendy thought to herself as she saw her fiancée turn to go back to the party.  
  
She needed to talk to Peter as soon as she got back to London.  
  
Just to see.  
  
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Afterthoughts: Thanks for coming back to chapter seven guys! Happy? I hope so-yes, I know Edward is a royal pain in the ass, but it's just another lovely little dimension to the plot. I hope you all come back for chapter 8; I am so glad that you're all enjoying 'I didn't Forget'. This fic has become a big part of my life, and I'm very dedicated to it and its readers. I LOVE YOU ALL ~Ellie~  
  
PS-thank you so much Annabell Ali Adams for being my one and only beta reader! *sniff* wish I had some more... PPS-seeing it again this weekend, CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!!  
  
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	8. There and Back Again, a Child's Tale, by...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------- Notes from the Authoress: Hey guys, ellie here, I'm finally back with chapter 8!! Thanks for all your lovely reviews, I thrive off them; really, I do. It's been breaking my heart to write the last few chapters, but I promise that you'll appreciate them in the end!! It's around 12:30 on Saturday night, and I just saw Win a Date with Tad Hamilton with my brother, my friends and my friend's stepsister to be. I recommend it! The cute romance between to of the characters started my plot bunny jumping everywhere again, so I have a lot of ideas for what's going to happen next! Keep reading and reviewing!  
  
I LOVE YOU ALL  
  
~Ellie~  
  
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The ride home was ever so slow. The carriage seemed to be inching along the road, and Wendy could just barely make out the lovely city of London, where her home and safety-and hopefully Peter-awaited her. She looked out the carriage window and saw the stars twinkling down upon them, laughing and dancing. They looked just like faeries.  
  
She looked in vain for the second star to the right, but for her life she couldn't remember where it was. There were too many stars; how could there possibly be a second to the right? Where did the right begin?  
  
"Are you feeling any better, dear?" Mr. Darling asked Wendy, looking at his pale-faced daughter with concern in his eyes. She had been awfully quiet the whole evening. It was very unlike Wendy.  
  
Wendy opened her mouth to answer no; she was not alright, she was set to marry a man who was as low as anyone she had ever met, and was being torn away from the one person who made her life worth living. But when the sound came out, the mechanical words were: "Yes, father, I think I will be fine. I think the party was just a bit overwhelming, that's all."  
  
"Yes, it must have been just amazing for you to see what your life is going to be like very soon," exclaimed Mrs. Darling. "And to be able to share the rest of your life with such a charming young man like Sir Edward! You are a truly lucky young woman, Wendy." She just looked so genuinely happy. If only she knew the truth.  
  
Wendy's insides lurched. She had hoped just a little that her parents wouldn't like Edward very much, and they might agree with her idea to call off the wedding. No such luck, it seemed.  
  
"Yes, our Wendy has grown into quite the beautiful young woman, hasn't she? I never would have imagined her like this back when she was telling pirate tales and dreaming about faeries," Mr. Darling chuckled, looking at his daughter with pride. She really had turned out exactly the way he hoped she would. Demure, kind, beautiful and good-natured. A perfect find for any man. Not to mention that his position at work and in the social ladder would inevitably change after Edward and Wendy were married.  
  
"Thank you, father. My greatest desire is to please you," Wendy smiled, and then fell silent.  
  
And so it remained for the entire ride home.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
'Home at last,' Wendy sighed inwardly. She needed to get out of the night, out of her corset, out of all the things that bound her to the civil world. She needed to see Peter.  
  
As the three partygoers entered the house, Mr. Darling called to the boys, but no sound came from upstairs. "Good, they've gone to sleep then," he said, taking off his jacket and hat and hanging them on the banister. It's quite late Wendy; you should be going to bed now."  
  
She nodded and went to kiss her father on the cheek. "Goodnight, father." "Goodnight, darling....and pleasant dreams."  
  
Wendy couldn't remember the last time she'd had a pleasant dream. As a matter of fact, she couldn't remember the last time she had been happy - awake or asleep. Not in six years had she been truly happy the way she had been in Neverland, with Peter.  
  
Peter. She had to go talk to him! She ascended the stairs hurriedly. She would change first; she wanted to be able to breathe while she spoke to him. How embarrassing if she fainted in front of him!  
  
She walked down the hall to her bedroom, her footsteps echoing hollowly in the empty space. It was all so plain, so routine.  
  
Her steps carried her past the nursery and into her room. It was such a quiet and plain place, her bedroom; the walls were bare and lonely. Was this what all of adulthood was to be like? If so, it wasn't what she wanted. She didn't want the bare walls for the rest of her life. She wanted walls with paintings, and strange colors, colors that screamed life. She wanted adventurous walls.  
  
She began to change, anticipating the freedom from her confinement.  
  
One button-two-three-four-five-six-  
  
There were so many!  
  
The dress finally came off, and Wendy breathed deeply as she felt the color returning to her face. She pulled her hair down and pulled her nightgown over her head, relishing the soft, airy freedom of the cotton garment.  
  
She was going to set things straight with Peter now.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
But Peter was way ahead of her. When Wendy opened the door to her bedroom he was already standing there, his arms crossed. He was so handsome, just standing there. His blue eyes shone with an understanding that hadn't been there before, and his lips-a sad smile playing on his lips....lips that she wanted to kiss so badly at that moment.  
  
She trailed off of her thoughts, blushing.  
  
"Peter," she breathed. "Before-before the party-I'm so sorry-I didn't mean any of it, I was just upset-I-I feel so terrible, can you forgive-"  
  
Peter silenced her, putting his index finger to her lips.  
  
"Sssh," he whispered. "It's alright, Wendy. We don't have to talk about that."  
  
Peter did want to talk about it though; the thought of her marrying another man was eating him on the inside. But he had to hold it in, at least for now.  
  
"Wendy, do you remember how to fly?"  
  
"Fly? Oh, Peter, it's been so long, I don't know, I might fall....how do I know that I won't fall?"  
  
"It doesn't matter. Once you've learned you can always come back to it. Fly with me, Wendy-fly with me one last time. We'll fly to the moon and back- just come with me."  
  
He took her hand and led her over to the open window, where the night breeze was blowing calmly. The sky was clear, and the moon and stars shone down on them. Wendy's bare feet stood on the window sill, and she marveled at the night sky.  
  
"Peter, I'm afraid."  
  
"Don't be," he said, hovering outside the window. He extended his hand and she took hold of it.  
  
"Close your eyes and jump."  
  
She did.  
  
And when she opened them, they were in the air. She looked down and saw the ground falling away from her, and clutched Peter's hand for dear life. He smiled.  
  
"Don't let go, Peter," she squeaked nervously as they flew farther and farther from the house.  
  
"I'd never let go. Relax, Wendy! Try to remember how much fun flying is!"  
  
She looked up towards the sky, and was overcome with a feeling of overwhelming joy.  
  
It was exactly like she remembered!  
  
The wind rushed past them, blowing her long hair every which way as they soared over the rooftops of London. The city glimmered below as they went higher, higher-and in that moment, she was free.  
  
They flew at an alarming rate towards the night sky until they were basking in the moon's glow, where they stopped to marvel at the heavenly body.  
  
"Peter, I'd forgotten what it was like to fly. Thank you for reminding me! The moon is so beautiful; I wish I could stay like this forever."  
  
Peter looked at her. It was the first time he had seen her smile so freely and genuinely in ages; her eyes were alight with wonder and the moon's beams. She was truly the most beautiful creature he had ever laid eyes on. He had to cherish this moment - there was never going to be another one like after she was married.  
  
Wendy turned to him. "Peter, what are you feeling? Right now."  
  
Oh, how he wanted to tell her in that moment how he loved her, how he always wanted to be there for her. He wanted to kiss her right there, in the light of moon. But he couldn't. She loved someone else.  
  
"I feel happiness, Wendy. I feel happiness that I am right here, right now with the very best friend anyone could ever ask for, and all I want is to always be your friend. And for you to be happy in your marriage, because I realize now that it matters to you so much. I want it for you if it makes you happy. I-I'll even stay for the wedding." Those were the most difficult words he had ever had to say.  
  
He pulled Wendy into an embrace, and she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her head into his chest. She was in his arms now, the only place in the world where she felt truly safe.  
  
But at the same time her heart was breaking.  
  
What had always been true was true as ever now. Peter was a boy at heart, he always would be. He wasn't capable of loving.  
  
'Even though I'm in love with him-more in love with him than anything in the whole world,' she thought as she clung to him. There was no use in trying to hide her feelings from herself anymore.  
  
She was in love. But it was never to be.  
  
A friend. It was what she was; it was what she always would be in Peter's eyes.  
  
She had to accept the terms. She was marrying Edward - she might as well get used to it.  
  
'That's right,' her mind taunted her cruelly. 'Accept it. Become what you were meant to be. A docile, submissive wife.'  
  
She could always love him from afar.  
  
"Let's go home, Peter."  
  
They sank slowly from the sky, falling, falling, until they reached the window again.  
  
The final flight of Wendy Darling and Peter Pan had ended.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Later that night, Peter crept back into Wendy's room, and approached her sleeping form.  
  
He climbed onto the soft blue bed and took her sleeping form into his arms, and closed his eyes gently as sleep began to take hold of him.  
  
And he felt complete.  
  
"You are so beautiful," he murmured before he fell asleep. Asleep in the arms of his true love.  
  
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Afterthoughts: I AM SO SORRY! That was really sad, I know! But it wasn't the end!!! The best is yet to come, believe you me, so hang it there! Please keep reading, I have a feeling that these characters are gonna go haywire again in the next chapter-like I said, they really do have a mind of their own. Anyways, off too bed, I'm sooo tired!  
  
I LOVE YOU ALL  
  
~Ellie~  
  
PS-I'm sorry, but I promised-  
  
Susie, Hannah-I DO BELIEVE IN FAERIES, I DO, I DO! SHE HAD BIG TEETH! MY FINGERS ARE STICKY!  
  
That was an ode to watching Peter Pan when you're high on sugar. ?  
  
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	9. A White Dress To Die For

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Notes from the Authoress: Hey guys, Ellie here, back again for chapter 9! I was under immense pressure for this one, and I worked long and hard on it, so I hope you all like it!  
  
Just wanted to share one of my favorite quotes with you from the world of opera  
  
I don't want to sear people's hearts I want only to shoot with my golden darts Listen to the honesty of my voice Now you've no choice *sticks out tongue and runs off stage*  
  
aaah, the beauty of an incredibly fucked up cupid. Opera is a truly beautiful thing.  
  
So guys, read, review, and most of all ENJOY!  
  
Bon Appetit!  
  
(Because I know you all just love to eat stories)  
  
I LOVE YOU ALL  
  
~ELLIE~  
  
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It was warmer than usual in her bed. Wendy snuggled deeper into the folds of her blanket, and sighed deeply. Last night had been so magical, and so sad. It was the first time in ages that she had been happy, and yet it was another one of those nights where her heart broke into a million pieces.  
  
Her blue eyes fluttered open, and she looked around her room, sensing another presence in it. Her eyes landed on two arms that were encircling her waste loosely, and gasped. Who was in her bed? She quietly took hold of the bedpan that lay on the floor next to her bed; and quietly as a mouse, she began to turn, ready to face the intruder. How vile! Who would think of climbing into a respectable young woman's bed?  
  
She flung around suddenly and hit her attacker on the head with the hot pan. She gasped as she saw who it was.  
  
"Peter!" She cried as he lay on the blue sheets, unconscious. "Oh dear, oh dear, what have I done? Peter, wake up!"  
  
She shook his motionless body, and he moaned quietly as his eyes began to open.  
  
"Wendy...."  
  
"Sssh, ssh, don't speak, dear, it'll only make your head hurt more,"  
  
To an outsider, this scene would have been utterly hilarious. And it would have been funny to Wendy as well if she didn't have another thought weighing her mind down.  
  
What was Peter doing her room in the first place, in her bed? Her initial thought was wiped away when she recalled that Peter didn't know anything at all about those sorts of intentions. He probably just didn't want to wake up the boys so late at night. Good thing her parents hadn't come in. That would have been the end of Peter's visit, for sure. She could just imagine the look on her father's face.  
  
Wendy ran to get Peter a wet cloth, and returned a moment later and placed it on his forehead, where a large bruise was rapidly appearing. She was laden with guilt.  
  
"Wendy-why did you hit me?" Peter asked, shying away from her touch.  
  
"Peter, I didn't know it was you! I thought a complete stranger was in my bed-it scared me!"  
  
Peter grinned mischievously. "Terribly sorry, Wendy. I'm afraid that this bruise is going to be here for a long time. Good arm, by the way." He saluted her as if he was a war veteran.  
  
Wendy blushed and bent down to inspect the wound.  
  
Their faces were just an inch apart. He seemed to be lifting his face towards hers. She could feel his warm breath on her cheek. He was smiling.  
  
"Wendy...."  
  
She loved it when he said her name.  
  
"Wendy!"  
  
She pulled her face away from his as she heard her mother calling for her. She heard her coming up the stairs, and stood up, pulling a confused and rather dizzy Peter with her. She let go of his hand as her mother poked her head into the room.  
  
"Wendy, are you in there? I-oh, hello Peter! What are you two doing in here? Chatting, I presume? Well, never mind that, we've more important things to attend to. Peter, I suggest you go down and have breakfast. Wendy, *it* is here."  
  
Wendy gulped. She had been dreading this ever since the day that she had been promised to Edward. To think that she had once anticipated this day with the excitement of a young lover. But that was when she was younger. When she had had her fantasy wedding all planned out.  
  
Peter looked at Wendy, confused. "Then I-erm-I guess I should go eat something-the boys are probably expecting me downstairs. Mrs. Darling," he nodded to her mother as he walked out of the room.  
  
"So polite; that boy," Mrs. Darling said absentmindedly.  
  
Wendy smiled; her parents would never know that John had given Peter lessons in 'proper English speak', as he called it.  
  
"Anyways, love, it's finally here! Just the one you wanted!" She was holding a flat white box that was tied with a pink ribbon. "Try it on, won't you? Oooh, isn't this exciting now?"  
  
Wendy nodded numbly, it wasn't exciting at all.  
  
She opened the box carefully, and pulled out what was probably the most beautiful article of clothing she had ever seen in her life.  
  
It was THE white dress, the dress that would put all others to shame. It was very simple and faerie-like, with a gauzy skirt that fanned out slightly, and a white corset upper with ivory roses embroidered onto it.  
  
"Oh mother....it's so beautiful! Wherever did you find something like this?" Wendy breathed, holding the dress up. This was a dress that would make any occasion seem grand, that was for sure.  
  
"Well, you had told me that you didn't want anything too fancy, something faerie-like. I think you said that to me around four years ago....I wasn't sure if you still wanted one like this anymore. I'm so glad you like it! Well, what are you waiting for? Try it on!"  
  
She took the dress and went to change in her closet.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Oh, Wendy," Mrs. Darling gasped when she re-entered the room, now in her wedding dress, "You look.....you look so beautiful! Here, come closer; let me get a better look. Just like an angel, dear."  
  
Mrs. Darling was right, not only was the dress itself stunning, but Wendy looked unearthly beautiful in it. The gauzy skirt trailed on the floor, and it fanned out like a ballerina when she twirled. The dress hugged her curves, and made her angelic white skin glow.  
  
"Does this dress make me look fat?" Wendy asked, and then smiled at her mother, who laughed.  
  
"Very funny, dear. Do you like how it looks?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
She could see her dream wedding unfolding in front of her now. A simple affair with just her family and friends, and a little outside ceremony. Her groom would be as handsome as she was beautiful, and he would take her into the world of lifelong romance with one beautiful kiss.  
  
But she had to face reality. That wedding was never going to happen. The kiss she was going to receive on her wedding day would be exactly the same as the cold, unforgiving one that she had received at her engagement party.  
  
"Wendy-Wendy!" her mother's voice invaded her thoughts, bringing her back to the real world.  
  
"Let's go downstairs and show your father, hmmm?"  
  
Wendy nodded and followed her mother out of the room, noticeably more depressed than she had been a few moments ago.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"George! She's got it on! Do you want to see?" Mrs. Darling called into the dining room. Wendy stood behind her, wringing her hands nervously.  
  
"Of course I do! Come in, Wendy dear, let me see!" Mr. Darling called back.  
  
"What are we gonna see?" she heard Michael ask. "Oh, shut up! Why do you always have to be so damn curious about everything?" she heard one of the twins spit back. "Language, boys, language! There'll be none of that in this household!" "Well then why the bloody hell do you say things like that all the time?" Slightly shrieked. "BOYS! Silence, everyone! Wendy, come in!" Mr. Darling cried, exasperated. "And BE QUIET!"  
  
She heard Peter's laugh along with the rest of the boys, he had always had the most beautiful laugh. It rang out loud and clear above everyone else's, it probably came from the many years he had spent laughing and playing in Neverland.  
  
'I bet he's never been told to speak in an "inside voice"', Wendy laughed to herself, and proceeded to follow her mother into the dining room.  
  
A chorus of 'ooooooooooooooh's' and 'aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah's' burst from the boys, and her father looked at her proudly.  
  
"You look just beautiful, my dear," he said, "You'll be the most beautiful bride England has ever seen."  
  
"Nice choice!" "Your skirt's so big!" "Are you allowed to wear sleeves that short?" "Ooooh, look Slightly's drooling!"  
  
Wendy laughed. The boys were so irreverent and carefree. Their sprits were truly beautiful things.  
  
Then she looked to Peter, who had been silent the whole time. He was just staring her, his mouth hanging open slightly. It was quite endearing, except that he had never looked at her like that. It made her feel good and a bit uncomfortable at the same time.  
  
"Come, boys, it's time for you to get dressed. Speaking of which, I probably should too," Mr. Darling chuckled, looking down at his robe and pajamas.  
  
Mr. Darling and the boys filed out of the dining room.  
  
"You look amazing, love," he said to her as he passed.  
  
In less than a minute she was alone in the dining room with Peter. He was still staring at her, slack jawed.  
  
"Peter? Peter, are you in there?" Wendy waved a hand in front of his face, and he started.  
  
"Wendy, you look so....so.....so.....nice."  
  
He cursed inwardly. Why couldn't he say it? He knew she looked beautiful- no, not beautiful, she had transcended that dull adjective a long time ago. There were no words to describe her, and yet the only word he could come up with out loud was 'nice'.  
  
"That's all? Just nice?" Wendy said, looking at him hopefully.  
  
"No," he said with a newfound courage. "Wendy, you don't just look nice. You look beautiful."  
  
Wendy's mouth fell open. Had he really just said that? It was so un-Peter- like.  
  
"Th-thank you," she stammered, blushing.  
  
He moved towards her. "I also forgot to tell you that you looked beautiful when were going to your party."  
  
"I...I....wow," Wendy whispered. She never thought she'd hear words like that coming from Peter's mouth.  
  
Peter wasn't going to let his nerves or common sense take the best of him now. It was time for a confession.  
  
"And I-"  
  
But he was cut off by Mrs. Darling again as she re-entered the dining room.  
  
"Wendy, come along now, don't want to get that dress dirty, now do we? Run along dear."  
  
She took Wendy's hand and pulled her from the room. Peter was still staring at her as she disappeared out of sight.  
  
Stupid mothers. They ruined everything.  
  
Peter turned to leave the room when the door swung open. John stood in the doorway.  
  
"Peter, how about you take a walk with me. There's something we need to talk about," he said formally. He had been outside the door the entire time.  
  
"Ok-did I do something wrong?"  
  
"Well, yes and no."  
  
He turned to leave, and Peter followed him, dreading whatever was coming next. He had never seen John like this before.....so damn serious.  
  
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Afterthoughts: Yes, yes, I know you all wanted a confession! But be patient! Some interesting (and hopefully humorous) interactions between John and Peter in chapter 10! Sorry, that first part of the chapter was rather poorly attempted humor on my part. Sorry. This one didn't take very long to write, but I'm breaching kind of an interesting subject in the next one, so I'm looking at like Thursday. But keep reading and reviewing, because that and my love for Peter/Wendy is what's making me want to keep writing this!  
  
Special thanks to Ali, my one and only beta reader. Love ya!  
  
I LOVE YOU ALL  
  
~Ellie~  
  
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	10. A Turn of Events and an Awkward Question

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Notes from the Authoress: Hey guys, back with a short but hopefully revealing and humorous chapter 10!! Yaaay, my story has finally reached the double digits!! I so appreciate all the reviews you guys have been giving me. I had forgotten how much I love writing before I started this fic. So anyways, laugh, read, review and most of all ENJOY!  
  
Oh, and another excerpt from opera just because I know you loved my last one so much-  
  
Let him die by the sword  
  
Sharpen it and stab  
  
Deep enough to cut his heart out!  
  
~Me, in bare feet, with a knife in a ball gown hacked up by clothespins and chasing cupid around stage. Did I mention that opera is a beautiful thing?  
  
Bon Appetit!  
  
I LOVE YOU ALL  
  
~Ellie~  
  
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"So what did you want to talk about?"  
  
John and Peter were now walking through Kensington Gardens. The walk there had been unbearable; John's silence was intimidating and cold. It was a cool spring day, one of those days that you only get a few days after winter has ended. There was a touch of color in the air, but frost still glittered on the trees and the iron gates surrounding the gardens. It gave their surroundings a silent, ethereal feeling.  
  
John didn't answer, but instead continued walking through the frost-kissed park. Peter followed, looking at John expectantly. Their breath clouded into mist, and Peter shivered. He wasn't used to such cold. At least not where he came from.  
  
After a few more moments of painfully awkward silence, John stopped abruptly, and turned to face Peter. It was then that Peter noticed for the first time how much John resembled his father. The same serious sharpness could be found in his pale face, but the same polite kindness shone in his eyes.  
  
"Peter." His voice was stony. "I have some questions for you, and I want you to answer absolutely truthfully. No child-lies, ok?"  
  
Peter nodded hesitantly. How could he say that he wouldn't lie when he didn't even know what sort of questions he was to be asked?  
  
"Ok."  
  
John took a deep breath and asked, "Did you ask me what love is so that you could understand if maybe-maybe you were in love with someone?"  
  
"Well-no...." Peter began, but then saw the disbelieving look on John's face and began again. "Yes."  
  
"Aha. I thought as much. And did you find that my explanation provided you with more insight on this matter?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"And are you, in fact, in love with someone?"  
  
Peter was tracing circles on his palm now, an annoying nervous habit that he'd had since as long as he could remember. He could feel beads of perspiration appearing on his forehead. Just how much had John heard of his conversation with Wendy? At that point he was somewhat glad that he hadn't been able to go through with his confession.  
  
"According to your definition, yes," Peter replied quickly, hoping that John would get to the point quickly.  
  
"Who is this lucky person, may I ask?" John was now replicating Sherlock Holmes-he was circling Peter as though he was some kind of high-caliber detective.  
  
"I don't think you know her."  
  
"Bullocks! Peter, why don't you just come out and say it? Who-are-you-in- love-with!?"  
  
"Wendy," Peter said under his breath, and John jumped in the air as though he had discovered some kind of clue.  
  
"Aha! So the truth comes out! Well, I must say that I'm glad for you. Jolly good."  
  
Peter looked at John, bewildered. So he had gotten him to confess his love for Wendy. Was that the only reason they had left the warmth of the house to walk in these icy gardens? He could have told that to John anywhere.  
  
At this point the two were walking again, this time in the direction of the Darling house.  
  
"But you know that she's to be married next week."  
  
Peter grit his teeth, trying to stay calm. "Thanks for reminding me. It's bad enough that she doesn't love me, but that she loves another person...."  
  
"Peter! Have you even met this person?" John exclaimed, in shock.  
  
"No. But you said that when you marry someone you love them--"  
  
John was now flushed with anger, mostly at himself for giving Peter the wrong idea.  
  
"Well I was telling you about the old-fashioned kind of marriage! Now listen: marriage today isn't based around love. It's about parents finding the richest man they can who's willing to marry their daughter. It's forced."  
  
Peter's heart exploded with happiness at these words. Maybe, just maybe, Wendy didn't love this man! His mind was filled with happy thoughts. But his mind was also filled with anger at Wendy's parents; he just couldn't believe that they would ever make Wendy marry someone she didn't love. The Darling's just seemed to kindhearted.  
  
'And they probably wouldn't,' a voice somewhere in his head taunted him, 'There's always the possibility that she does love him. She could have been lucky enough to become engaged to a man who she does love. Like you said, her parents are too kind for that'  
  
Peter had to take the risk.  
  
"He's coming over for dinner tonight," John's voice interrupted Peter's conversation with himself, "You can see for yourself whether she loves him or not."  
  
"But how can I tell?" Peter asked. People didn't just wear their hearts on their sleeves. Or skirts. Or whatever-Peter wasn't accustomed to wearing the normal garb.  
  
"The answer will be in her eyes, Peter. Compare the way she looks at him to the way she looks at you. Then you'll be sure," John said matter-of- factly. He had met Edward; he knew what he was like. If there was any chance of getting his sister out of a marriage that was completely wrong for her, he would take it.  
  
"Alright then, I will. Do you think I'll see what I want?" Peter asked hopefully.  
  
"How could I possibly know? I'm just her little brother," John smiled, feigning ignorance.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Well, looks as though our little walk is over. I trust you learned something?" John said as he took off his jacket in the foyer of the house, leaving it on the banister.  
  
Peter nodded; eager to get out of John's presence for fear that he might be bombarded with uncomfortable questions again. He didn't think he could bear it.  
  
John began to ascend the stairs on his way to the nursery when he stopped suddenly, and turned to face Peter again; who was still standing amidst the shoes and coats of the Darling family.  
  
"You know, Peter, maybe I'm wrong-maybe you don't love her. Maybe you're just sexually attracted to her." It seemed to take a lot of effort on John's part to say this.  
  
"What's that?" Peter chided, puzzled.  
  
"Ok, well obviously you aren't then. But you know-like as in-sex? Haven't you heard....?" John looked astonished.  
  
"What's that?" Peter was far beyond confused now. He couldn't for the life of him figure out why John was asking these questions if it was making him blush so madly.  
  
"Well I-I-I guess you'll find out eventually. Don't worry about right now," John sighed, and disappeared up the stairs, Peter still staring after him.  
  
"Ok," he said to no one in particular. He shrugged and followed John up the stairs.  
  
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Afterthoughts: Yah, yah, I know it was kind of short! But I promise that it does have utter relevance to the next few chapters (Squee-ers, get out your boxes of Kleenex)! I hope you all liked chapter 10, I just loved writing that little dialogue at the end, I was cracking up when I was writing that.  
  
*Cringes as people stare, thoroughly weirded out*  
  
So keep reading and reviewing, and I hope you all come back for the tumultuous ride of emotions that is-dundundun-CHAPTER 11!!!!!!! It'll be longer, I promise.  
  
I LOVE YOU ALL  
  
~Ellie~  
  
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	11. Dinner and Destruction

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Notes from the Authoress: Hey guys! Thanks for being patient with me; I'm back with chapter 11! This chapter had me on the verge of tears the whole time. I don't have a whole lot to say about this one except to read, review, and most of all ENJOY!!  
  
Thanks for always coming back and reading my story, I owe you guys everything.  
  
I LOVE YOU ALL  
  
~Ellie~  
  
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"You're not actually going to wear that tonight, are you?"  
  
Peter turned around to see Michael in the doorway, shaking his head. He wasn't allowed to attend the dinner; he was expected to go to bed early with the rest of the boys. John and Peter were permitted to eat with the rest of the family and their guests.  
  
He was back in the nursery, still reeling from his awkward and confusing conversation with John. It really didn't make much sense to him-especially that little moment at the end when John had said something about him not loving Wendy-something about-oh, what was that word again? Oh yes, it was sexually attracted or something like that.  
  
"What's wrong with what I'm wearing? It's what I always wear," Peter said defensively. He had worn leaves and other such natural materials all his life, why should that change now?  
  
"What's considered ok in Neverland isn't really going to be ok here- especially if it's something kind of fancy, like tonight. So unless you wanna get laughed out of that dining room, I think that you should probably find something else to wear." Michael stared at Peter appraisingly.  
  
"Well, that's easy for you to say. You've lived here all your life; you know what's allowed and what's not. Where am I supposed to find clothes that fit me? Yours definitely wouldn't fit me," said Peter, looking doubtfully and Michael's little body.  
  
Michael walked over to the closet, stepping gingerly around the numerous toys strewn about on the floor.  
  
'They really do have a lot of toys,' Peter thought. You could barely see the floor through all the fake swords, horses and other trinkets and fake war-weapons. The boys most certainly would have made great pirates and swordsmen, given the chance.  
  
"You can wear some of John's clothes, I'm sure he wouldn't mind," came Michael's muffled voice from somewhere inside the closet. "He has all of the more grown-up clothes, ones that would fit you." Michael was now completely out of eyesight, buried somewhere within the messy closet.  
  
"Michael-John's about 15 now, right?" Peter asked.  
  
"Why, yes. Why do you ask?" Michael's head appeared around the door of the closet. His hair was all askew, probably from digging around in various piles of clothes; trying and find something decent.  
  
"Well, why does he still live in the nursery? Shouldn't he maybe have his own room by now? It seems strange that he's still living in the same room with seven twelve-year-olds." It was a question that had been on his mind since their conversation. John had seemed so much mature and grown up, it made him wonder why he hadn't gotten a room of his own, like Wendy.  
  
"After Wendy moved out of the nursery, John was kind of considering getting his own room too. He decided that he didn't want one in the end; because even though Wendy had left, he wanted to be the one who made sure no one ever forgot. And believe me; I think we were all starting to forget. At least I was, 'cause, you know-school was getting harder and everything. Aside from Wendy, I think John was most bent on not forgetting everything. Really kind gesture to Wendy on his part, don't you think? Now where in the bloody hell is that shirt--" Michael gave a cry and fell back into the closet, disappearing from sight again.  
  
Peter was surprised, and at the same time was developing a new respect for John. So he really did have good intentions-he had been the one who convinced Wendy not to forget!  
  
'I really do owe him my life now, sexually attracted or not,' Peter thought to himself.  
  
"Aha, here we go!" Michael reappeared, looking quite triumphant. He held a pair of black dress pants and a white button-up shirt in his hands. "It's not all that fancy, but it'll have to do. Anything's better than vines I guess," he said, handing the clothes to Peter. "Go change, dinner starts really soon. You don't want to be late."  
  
Peter turned to leave the room, but when he reached the door he heard Michael's voice.  
  
"Peter?"  
  
He turned to look at the boy. "Yes?"  
  
"Good luck."  
  
Peter smiled and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.  
  
It was dinner time.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Wendy sat in the parlor, the perfect picture of a young woman-silent and smiling. She was dressed in a simple blue dress, once again wearing her constricting corset, making her torso into the desirable S-shape. She sat next to Edward, who was looking handsome as usual. He had arrived earlier than the Darlings had expected, so Wendy was stalling while Mr. and Mrs. Darling were making sure the dining room was at it's best for the meal. An awkward silence filled the room.  
  
Edward turned to Wendy. "How are you, love?" he asked, scooting towards her. His eyes were cold, and she couldn't bear to meet them with her own. His hand rested on her leg, and she tried to inch away from him, and with surprising force his hand stayed her movement.  
  
"I-I-I think I'll go help my parents," Wendy sat quietly. She stood up, but Edward grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down.  
  
"Oh no, darling, I don't think so. Not this time. I must say; you put up a lovely little charade a few days ago; at our party. The food at my house is just fine-no, it's not fine, it's magnificent. You may have fooled everyone else, but you didn't fool me."  
  
Wendy's breaths were coming in short and clipped, Edward had a very painful hold on her wrist. Edward leaned over towards her and put his lips to her ear. "Wendy-do you love me? Say you do, and you can go help your parents. Say it."  
  
Wendy shook her head vehemently, tears in her eyes. "How could I ever love a monster like you?" she spat, and tried once again to stand up, but Edward got up with her, throwing her back down.  
  
Now she was not disgusted, but terrified. She had known he was scum, but she didn't know that he was violent scum. Abusive scum. The coldness had left his eyes; it had been replaced with a fiery mixture of anger and violence.  
  
"Say it," he said, his fingernails beginning to dig into her wrist, "Or you'll pay for it."  
  
A single tear that contained hate, fear and sadness rolled down Wendy's cheek as she opened her mouth. "Yes, I love you," she said mechanically. Edward smiled and let go of her wrist, leaving little red marks where his nails had broken the skin. Fortunately for the sake of secrecy, there was no blood, and the marks were not easily noticeable. She covered them by changing her bracelet from her left hand to her right hand.  
  
"That's what I thought," he said politely, "Now then, you can go help your parents if you'd like."  
  
At that moment, though; Mr. Darling entered the parlor. "Dinner's being served now, you two," he announced, "Mrs. Darling and Peter are in the dining room waiting for us." He turned left.  
  
Once again, Edward turned to Wendy. "Who's Peter?" he hissed.  
  
"J-just a childhood friend-he came back to visit."  
  
Edward still looked suspicious. "We'll see about that," he muttered, and then took Wendy's hand and dragged her out of the room.  
  
Upon entering the dining room, Wendy saw a sight that she thought she'd never see. Peter was dressed in a white shirt and black pants, and looking very handsome.  
  
'Probably John's clothes, they're a bit ill-fitting,' she thought. John was just the tiniest bit short than Peter was. But peter looked clean and innocent as he fiddled around with the collar of his dress shirt, obviously uncomfortable with the restraints.  
  
"Hello Peter, this is Edward. Peter, Edward; Edward, Peter. Peter extended his hand, but Edward didn't take it. He simply nodded politely and sat down at the table.  
  
'Not the friendliest of men,' he thought to himself, and then noticed that there was a tear-path on Wendy's face, and his thoughts became troubled.  
  
"Let's eat, shall we?" Mrs. Darling said, trying to desperately to extinguish the awkward silence that blanketed the room.  
  
"Yes, yes, of course," Edward said politely, and they began eating.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Once dinner was well underway, Mr. and Mrs. Darling had done a very nice job of upholding polite conversation, until the talk turned to that of marriage.  
  
"Edward, we got Wendy's dress today. She looks just enchanting in it," Mrs. Darling said suddenly, and Edward's cold eyes lit up. "I'm delighted to hear it," he said, and looked at Wendy, taking her hand.  
  
Peter started, remembered what John had said to him earlier that day.  
  
"Compare the way she looks at him to the way she looks at you."  
  
He looked directly at her as she looked into Edward's eyes, and in it he saw something that surprised. Her eyes were not only loveless, but the pupils were slightly dilated as though she was in fear of him. There weren't any signs of love in those big beautiful eyes of hers.  
  
"Yes, it's really nice," Peter spoke up suddenly. He had been unusually quiet the whole meal, and everyone turned to look at him. "Yeah-" he trailed off, and yet another silence fell over the company. They went back to eating, but Wendy was still staring at Peter. When she turned her gaze on him, her eyes changed completely. There was a relaxed, warm look in them that she didn't possess when she looked at Edward. In her eyes were friendship and kindness, and Peter felt his heart beating faster.  
  
Maybe John was right. Maybe she didn't love Edward-maybe he still had a chance!  
  
"So, Peter, Wendy tells me you're an old friend. Where do you come from?" Edward asked, smiling maliciously in Peter's direction.  
  
Peter blanched. "I-uh-"  
  
"He's from Surrey," Wendy blurted, covering for Peter just in time. "We were great friends when we were young, and he's getting ready to attend Oxford."  
  
Edward stared at Peter, a look of shock mingled with suspicion plastered upon his features.  
  
"Really, and what do you plan to study at Oxford? Such a prestigious school, you know. You must be quite the bright young man."  
  
Once again, Wendy intervened before Peter could say anything stupid, which he inevitably would.  
  
"He's going into politics, you know. He wants to be a governor or some very fancy political leader. Fascinating, isn't it?" she said quickly, and Peter nodded as though that was exactly what he was going to say.  
  
"Yeah those politics people are so smart with all their-all their-all their politics and politics and-yes, politics."  
  
Edward looked incredulously at Peter. "Yes, fascinating," he mumbled, and then fell silent, and went back to his meal, throwing the occasional suspicious or dirty look at Peter.  
  
Peter, on the other hand, was busy thinking about what he had seen in Wendy's eyes. He was ecstatic; he had seen exactly what he had hoped for.  
  
'Tonight's the night,' he decided. Whether she loved him or not, whether she wanted to hear it or not, she was going to know that he loved her. Just to try to fix his heart and come clean not only to her, but to himself. Out loud.  
  
"Well, that was a lovely dinner, Mrs. Darling. You are a-excellent cook, ma'am. I'm honored that I was allowed to eat with you."  
  
Mrs. Darling smiled at him warmly. "Oh, you are such a darling young man! On the contrary, it was an honor to eat with you, Edward. Will you be taking your leave now?"'  
  
Edward nodded. "It's getting rather late-I try not to stay up too late these nights-I want to be wide awake for our wedding. Less than a week now, eh Wendy?"  
  
She nodded mechanically, her face blank of emotion.  
  
"And are you looking forward to it as much as I am?" Edward asked, glaring at Wendy pointedly. "Of course," she replied automatically.  
  
"Good then! I'll be leaving now! Wendy, I love you!"  
  
Peter watched Wendy as she tried hard to form the words. He could tell that she didn't want to say them. He smiled. So resistant; his Wendy.  
  
"I love you," she said quietly. Peter's smile faded.  
  
"And let me say, it was a-erm-pleasure to meet you, Peter. Good luck with Oxford and politics, hope you find a nice, politics-loving woman for yourself."  
  
Wendy bit her tongue, restraining herself from yelling, "He doesn't need another girl! He just needs me, you idiot!"  
  
"Goodnight, everyone," Edward said as he closed the door behind him, and disappeared with a final tip of his hat.  
  
"You two should go to bed now," Mrs. Darling said, turning to Peter and Wendy, who were still staring at the closed door. "It's later than I expected. Goodnight Peter, goodnight Wendy."  
  
The two walked up the stairs, and Peter, instead of going to the nursery, followed Wendy into her room.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"So that was-that was your fiancée," Peter said hesitantly. He wasn't sure whether or not he should breach the subject; she had always seemed rather sensitive around it.  
  
"Yes, Peter, that was Edward. It's nice that you finally got to meet him." She didn't sound happy at all. Her voice had decreased to a quiet monotone, almost like a chant. She removed her bracelets.  
  
And Peter saw the red marks on her wrist.  
  
"Wendy! What are those-did you hurt yourself?" Peter demanded, striding over to where Wendy stood. "It's-it's nothing Peter," she said, trying to hide her wrist, but to no avail. Peter had already grabbed her arm and was inspecting the wounds. "Wendy-these are nail marks!"  
  
Tear began to fall from Wendy's eyes, and she spoke. "Peter, it was Edward! He-he made me say I loved him, but Peter, oh Peter, I don't love him! And it hurt! I was so afraid, so afraid-the way he looks at me is so uncomfortable, and he's constantly threatening! Me! I--"  
  
She broke down into sobs, and Peter hugged her. A fire blazed inside his heart; he was going to kill Edward for doing this to her. For breaking his Wendy's spirit and leaving her like the shell she'd been since he'd arrived. That-that bastard was going to pay.  
  
Wendy broke away from Peter's embrace, and they stood and looked at each other for a moment.  
  
"Wendy-there's something I didn't tell you. I've been wanting to tell you this for so long, I only just realized it."  
  
Wendy looked at him curiously, still sniffing. "What do you want to tell me, Peter?" she asked, taking a step towards him. Peter faltered, but the warmth in her eyes renewed his courage.  
  
He took a deep breath, and began to speak. He began to speak the words that would forever part him from everything he knew-Tink, Neverland and eternal childhood.  
  
"Wendy-I-I-"  
  
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Afterthoughts: YES, YES, I KNOW! That was a really really mean cliffie! But it was really difficult writing this chapter, it was painful to write about Wendy and Edward's interaction in the parlor. I do hope you all come back for chapter 12, I think you all know what you're in for!  
  
I LOVE YOU ALL  
  
~Ellie~  
  
And once again, much thanks to Ali!  
  
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	12. Utter Bliss, You Silly Father!

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Notes from the Authoress: Hey guys, I am baaaccckkk with chapter 12! It's kind of short, but I am almost positive you'll like it. I was just forced to watch the superbowl, and the Pats won! Yay for Boston! That was nice, but I was really, really bored. So, here's chapter 12, read, review and most of all enjoy!! It might take awhile to get chapter 13, I have almost no free time this week because my opera opens in 3 days!!!!!  
  
I LOVE YOU ALL  
  
~Ellie~  
  
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Peter took a tentative step toward Wendy, and took her hands into his. He savored the smooth, un-calloused texture, and then realized that Wendy was staring at him, waiting for him to finish his sentence.  
  
"Wendy," he said, "Above all other things I've ever seen or met in my life, you are the most amazing, kind and beautiful."  
  
Wendy blushed profusely, a huge smile on her face. She wasn't used to hearing such compliments from someone she cared for so deeply. "Thank you, Peter," she smiled, "Is that all?" Her face fell a bit, she had been foolish to expect something else, and especially when she knew that the emotion was beyond Peter.  
  
He opened his mouth to say yes; his nerves were getting the best of him. But he couldn't. Not after all his mental torture and confusion.  
  
"No," he said bravely, "That isn't all. Wendy, I'd be a fool to tell you that that was all. Because to me you are so much more than a friend."  
  
Wendy's breath caught in her throat. She looked at Peter eagerly, waiting intently for what he would say next. She had imagined this sort of moment all her life, she hoped with all her might that he would have the guts to continue.  
  
"Wendy Moira Angela Darling, I'm in love with you. I love you."  
  
Wendy could only stare, her mouth hanging open. Peter Pan, the boy who didn't love, had just told her that he was in love with her. Peter Pan, the boy she loved with all her being. And yet she couldn't find any words. She was speechless. All she could say was....  
  
"What?"  
  
An awkward silence filled the space between the two. Neither said anything, they just stared.  
  
Peter looked perturbed by her rather unexpected comment. He had been hoping for another reaction, one not quite so blunt. He had imagined her perhaps throwing herself into his arms, and then he would kiss her. He didn't like the way this was going. So he decided to continue.  
  
"My dreams, my thoughts, my entire being have been tortured for the last six years because I couldn't understand what I was feeling; I was in denial for six whole years, Wendy! I only just realized that there is no way I could live without you....I can't go on living unless you love me back. Ever since I met you, my sanity-my LIFE-depended on the fact that I could return to you and find you here, waiting for me. You're my angel. That's why I love you, Wendy."  
  
Wendy could feel hot tears in her eyes; she could barely contain her happiness. She thought she was going to explode with delight. Warm, salty tears began to fall from her eyes, and Peter frowned, letting go of her hands. Had he offended her?  
  
"I'm sorry," he said quickly, stepping away from her. "Did I do something wrong? Wendy?"  
  
Wendy shook her head, smiling as she wiped her tears away. "No, Peter, you haven't done anything wrong. I'm just so....happy. Oh Peter, I'm more than happy, I'm in love! With you! You have no idea how long I've wanted to say that to you, but I thought you couldn't....I thought you couldn't love."  
  
Peter just stared at Wendy. She didn't love Edward the governor's son, she love him. Peter. Peter Pan. The boy she'd given her hidden kiss to.  
  
'So it does belong to me, after all,' Peter thought to himself proudly. 'I knew it! Ah, the cleverness of me!'  
  
"So if you love me and I love you....does that mean I can kiss you?" Peter asked shyly, blushing like a schoolboy.  
  
Wendy laughed at him; he was such an endearing, lovable person. How could she have not fallen in love with him? She would always remember this as the best night of her life, when her knight in shining armor (or vines for that matter) had told her he loved her.  
  
"Of course, Peter. You may kiss me any time you like. I'm your Wendy."  
  
Peter's eyes lit up. "Really? My Wendy? No one else's?"  
  
"No one else's. I'm yours."  
  
Peter put his hand on her pale cheek and tilted her face upwards towards his, and he lowered his head to meet hers.  
  
And they kissed, for the first time, as lovers.  
  
Peter was flying. The kiss was as magical as he remembered, but this time with more of a sense of urgency. He pressed his lips against hers, and they were lost in a world of their own. She tasted like cherries, a flavor that made their kiss even sweeter.  
  
It was a sweet kiss, one that Wendy had always imagined to be her first. Peter's lips really were as soft as they looked, they worked absolute magic. She sighed against his lips, and they parted.  
  
"That....that was amazing," Peter whispered, and Wendy nodded, grinning like a Cheshire cat. They looked down at their feet, and saw that they were no longer standing on the white floor of Wendy's room; they were hovering a good six inches above it. Peter opened his mouth to remark on it, but before he could say anything else, she put her hand on the back of his neck and pulled him in for another kiss.  
  
Their second kiss was deeper and more intense, one in which they both let out all of the pent up emotion that they had had locked up inside for six years. It was amazing; in that second kiss there was anger, sorrow, tears, joy and love. It was very energy-consuming; kissing with that kind of intensity and passion, and it only lasted for twenty seconds or so.  
  
When they parted, they were both panting slightly, and Peter looked Wendy straight in the eyes. The same question was on both each other's minds.  
  
"So..." Peter said, "What are you going to do about your parents....and Edward?"  
  
"Well, I can't rightly go through with a marriage to him now that we're in love," Wendy said matter-of-factly, "I suppose I shall tell my parents that I no longer love him, and will not marry him."  
  
Peter grinned, "You're so smart, Wendy. No wonder I love you." Wendy giggled.  
  
"You know," Peter said, turning serious, "John said earlier today that I'm sexually attracted to you. What's that mean?"  
  
Wendy's mouth fell open.  
  
'That little braggart!' she thought furiously, and then realized she was blushing madly.  
  
"Well, Peter, maybe you are....I don't know, I'll ask John about it later," she said maliciously, thinking of all the wonderfully horrible things she could do to her little brother.  
  
"But what is it? John wouldn't tell me," Peter asked, wondering why Wendy was blushing madly, just like John had earlier.  
  
'It must be a mighty funny thing, this sexually attracted,' he thought.  
  
"Well....um....uh....well that really doesn't matter now, Peter. All that matters is that we're here right now. Don't worry your mind with that sort of nonsense." Wendy said, avoiding the subject on the spot. There was no way she was going to explain this to him.  
  
"Ok, I won't. So....what now?"  
  
Wendy opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted before she could.  
  
"I'll tell you what's going to happen now," said a polite voice from the doorway.  
  
The two whirled around to see Mr. Darling in the doorway, looking very grim indeed.  
  
"Nothing indecent, indeed!"  
  
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Afterthoughts: Hmmmm....another not-so-nice cliffie. Sorry about that. Rather mean of me. But I really hope you enjoyed it, this short little 5- page chapter has been 4 weeks in the making! Yes, this I believe is a pivotal chapter in I Didn't Forget. And now you see why.  
  
I hope you all come back for chapter 13!!!  
  
Thanks again Ali!!  
  
I LOVE YOU ALL  
  
~Ellie~  
  
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	13. The Time of Grief

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Notes from the Authoress: Hey guys, Ellie here! Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I had dress rehearsal for my opera everyday this week until 10, and by then I was too exhausted to write....but here's short and kind of sad chapter 13!!! By the way, the opera was wonderful; it was just a blast, in case anyone was wondering. I felt kind of bad getting reviews and not being able to write anything because I was so busy, so I wrote this at 11 on Friday after our final performance, just because I had that overwhelming feeling of guilt. I had an overwhelming urge to write lovely fluff for 12, so write fluff I did. Unfortunately for you all, this chapter has reverted back to angst. Sorry! So read, review and most of all ENJOY!  
  
Toi toi!  
  
I LOVE YOU ALL  
  
~Ellie~  
  
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Mr. Darling stood in the doorway, his frame a silhouette against the light from the hallway. He was in his robe and pajamas, his pipe in one hand and a novel in the other. His mouth was set in a thin, grim line and his face had gone pale. His eyes were clouded with an emotion neither Wendy or Peter could identify....was it anger or sadness?  
  
Their question was answered quickly as Mr. Darling began to speak.  
  
"I was sitting in my bed, trying to have a late night scotch and a smoke, and when I heard noise I thought it was a bloody burglar breaking into the house! But this is much worse-much, MUCH worse; I'll tell you that much!" Mr. Darling's face was growing redder by the second, the lovers didn't like where this was headed.  
  
'But he can't actually do anything, the man's too timid,' Peter thought confidently, and smiled.  
  
"Sorry, sir, didn't mean to disturb you." Peter said in his most polite manner. Thank god for John and his English speak.  
  
"Don't you 'sorry sir' me!!!! I am MORE than disturbed, I am outraged! This is not a simple matter of disturbing me so late at night, that doesn't matter! But to walk in here and find you-find you-SLOBBERING all over my daughter....you've outdone yourself this time, Pan! This girl is engaged to be married in less than a week! To the governor's son no less! Do you realize what you're putting at risk here? Do you?" Mr. Darling looked like a volcano on the verge of erupting; a queer little twitch in his left eye was out of control.  
  
Wendy looked shamefacedly at her father. "Father, you don't understand! I don't want marry...."  
  
"Silence! I don't care if you don't want to marry him, don't you see that it's the only way for this family to survive? Wendy, I'm on the verge of being fired, this family needs this money more than you can possibly know! If you don't marry Edward then this family will be bankrupt! And bankrupt means homeless! And homeless means no beautiful clothes or luxuries or anything for this family anymore!" Tears were in Mr. Darling's eyes at this point, Wendy had never seen her father react to anything like this.  
  
"Father, it's you that doesn't understand! I don't love Edward....I'm in love with Peter!"  
  
Dead silence. Mr. Darling stood and stared at the two, incredulous.  
  
"B-b-but....it's not possible....no, it's not possible! It doesn't matter if you love Edward or not, Wendy; what matters is that you marry him so that this family won't die and starve on the streets! Don't you want the best for your family? Or are you that selfish?"  
  
He had hit a nerve there. Wendy felt guilt rising rapidly within her, and tears came to her eyes. "I'm sorry, father-I know we need the money....but....you don't understand....if you'd just hear me out!"  
  
Mr. Darling opened his mouth to tell her no; of course he wouldn't hear her out, but Peter spoke first.  
  
"Sir, would you really be such an unloving father as to make your daughter marry someone who she not only doesn't love, but hates? Do you want to live your life knowing that you gave your daughter away to benefit yourself financially?"  
  
Mr. Darling turned away from him, shaking. He took in a deep breath, and uttered the most horrible words Wendy had ever heard.  
  
"Yes, I suppose I do."  
  
A sob wracked Wendy's body, and she fell to the floor, crying. Peter knelt down next to her, glaring at Mr. Darling with a hatred that he hadn't felt since Hook had tried to take Wendy from him. He couldn't let Mr. Darling do that, not right after he had finally come to terms with adulthood, and his separation from childhood. Without her he would be lost.  
  
"Sir, you must be the most horrible man that ever lived. I hope that when you die you go nowhere but down, it's the very least you deserve."  
  
He heard a gasp from Wendy, and Mr. Darling continued to stare blankly, his eyes red and tired from fatigue and unshed tears. That put together with bed-mussed hair and pale face gave him the look of an insane man, and it was a look that was positively frightening. Peter was not so sure of himself anymore; there was less sanity to Mr. Darling that he had originally thought. Who knew what he might do next?  
  
"Father? Father....why won't you say anything? Why are you doing this to us?"  
  
Mr. Darling's silence was now fraught with insane anger, and the twitch in his eye was out of control.  
  
"No. I care not if you love each other, this boy doesn't even know the real meaning! You'll find love in a big house, with children and a wealthy husband, someone who can take care of you in all aspects. And he does love you Wendy, you must see it an embrace it! A boy like this can offer you nothing but false hope for a future, and a sure early death. You can't stay in love with him, Wendy. You are to marry Edward as planned."  
  
Wendy blanched. The final part of her living Hell was coming alive-the one person in the world who she thought would understand under all circumstances-her loving father had become one of the money-hungry managers of London.  
  
"Please don't do this, father....daddy?" she said in a small, pleading voice. It was the voice of a hopeless, pathetic, desperate girl. A role that Wendy was used to by now.  
  
"Peter, I'm afraid your visit has come to an end. I'm going to have to ask you to go back to where you came from, and to leave this family alone from now on. We can't have you stirring up trouble in our lives any longer. Leave through the window, or wherever you came from."  
  
Peter's stared at Mr. Darling in shock, he hadn't expected that. "Please don't make me leave, sir--"  
  
"Go! Now!" Mr. Darling grabbed Peter's wrist and flung him over to the window, where he hit the window head on, and slid to the floor, his eyes rolling slightly as he slipped in and out of consciousness. Wendy ran to him, fearing that her father had snapped completely.  
  
"Peter, please don't go," she whispered into his ear as she helped him up. He opened the window and before he jumped out, he turned to Wendy and took her face in his hands. "You will not marry him, I'm coming back for you; I'll rescue you from him. I promise." He wiped away her tears with his thumbs, and kissed her lightly. "Don't give up hope. I'll find a way to stop this....I love you, Wendy. Please, please don't forget that!"  
  
Wendy rested her forehead against hers. "Please don't let me marry him....you have to think of something....I love you too."  
  
With those words, Peter jumped out of the window, but didn't fly into the sky. His flight brought him around the corner of the house. Wendy smiled, he wasn't gone. If anyone could help her escape from Edward, it was Peter. He wouldn't let her go through with it.  
  
A hand appeared from behind and closed the window. It was her father, who had a grim look of satisfaction on his face.  
  
"I hope you understand why I'm doing this, Wendy," he said quietly, "It's for your well-being and the good of this whole family. You understand that, don't you?" He looked at her imploringly, looking almost pathetic in his want for her approval. He was like a dog, and it sickened Wendy. She shook her head.  
  
"Get out of my room," she exclaimed angrily, "I'll never understand. I hate you."  
  
Her father turned on his heel and stormed out of the room angrily. "It's for your own good, you know!" she heard him cry as he stormed down the hall towards his bedroom, "You'll thank me for it one day!"  
  
Wendy turned to look out the window, and put her hand upon the glass, her tearstained eyes searching the heavens and all of London for a little glimpse of Peter. There was no sign he had ever been there.  
  
"Come back for me, Peter."  
  
She walked over to her bed, where her handbag lay with her dress. She opened it up and pulled out a bottle of scotch she had nicked from her father's liquor cabinet earlier that week. She pried off the top, and smelled the vile stuff. It smelled like death. She took a sip, and winced as the burning liquid coated her throat. Her room began to spin in front of her, and she fell on her bed, unconscious.  
  
The pre-wedding festivities had begun.  
  
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Afterthoughts: Alright, that was quite angsty. Bet you didn't know that Wendy was gonna do that! I promise promise PROMISE that more of the happy will come soon, I'm aware that this was an extremely depressing chapter. I'll be back with chapter 14 very soon now that my opera is over; never fear, Peter WILL return, and then you'll be happy!  
  
Toi toi!  
  
I LOVE YOU ALL  
  
~Ellie~  
  
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	14. A Mother's Love, Or Lack Thereof

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Notes from the Authoress: Hey everyone, Ellie here! I'm back with chapter 14, and fortunately I think everyone's going to enjoy the fact that Mr. Darling isn't as evil as he seems. He's not! For real! I really don't have a lot to say about this one, so just read, review and most of all ENJOY!  
  
Because I love you guys so much!  
  
I LOVE YOU ALL  
  
~Ellie~  
  
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Mr. Darling stomped down the hallway, frazzled, tired and heartbroken. He had come from the scene where he had committed an unthinkable crime, and now his daughter's hate was mental and verbal.  
  
What have I done? He thought to himself, guilt gnawing at his very being every step of the way towards his room. He heard no noise from Wendy's room now; it was pure silence, the kind of silence that made you want to scream, bang something, do anything to break the heavy stillness.  
  
But he still firmly believed that what he had done had been for the best.  
  
His feet took him back to his bedroom, where he opened the door quietly, expecting to find his wife asleep, and the light off.  
  
But nothing is ever as expected, now is it?  
  
Mrs. Darling was wide awake, the lamp next to her bed was lit, and she sat up in bed, her back posture perfectly straight against the backboard. Sleep rimmed her eyes, and she looked at her husband questioningly; she knew that something had happened. She just didn't know what.  
  
"George...I heard yelling coming from Wendy's room and it woke me up....what on earth are you and she doing up at this ungodly hour?"  
  
All the feeling rushed back into Mr. Darling's body, and he began to do the unthinkable for a man of this stature-he began to cry.  
  
Now, one would think that if a man of his stature were to cry at all, it would be polite, small tears. But not the tears of a now-exiled father. Indeed, his tears were that like his daughter's; his body shook with his combined grief and guilt.  
  
Mrs. Darling clicked her tongue and motioned for him to come and sit next to her in a motherly fashion, and he complied. She put her hands on his shoulders and looked him straight in the eye.  
  
"There, there, dear, it's alright now. Tell me what happened."  
  
With a guilty heart, Mr. Darling proceeded to tell his wife everything....with a few choice edits, of course. When he had finished, Mrs. Darling stared at him, half of her wanting to throw her arms around her poor, disgruntled husband, and half of her wanting to slap him and tell her he deserved what he got. She decided with the former.  
  
"Darling....you poor thing, I've never seen you this upset! I've never known you to be the crying type, George. Such a strong man....oh, there, there! Dry those eyes! "she tsked as a fresh wave of tears came on strong.  
  
Mr. Darling looked at his wife with surprised eyes.  
  
"So you pity me?"  
  
She nodded, and said, "But why do you want her to marry Edward so badly that you would separate Wendy from her...uh...vine-covered lover? It's not that I don't want Wendy to marry him but...Peter's a good boy, I don't think he was out to harm Wendy at all. What's changed in you, George? You used to boast such a brave and kind heart....where's it gone when it comes to Wendy? It's there with everyone but her. What happened?"  
  
George opened his mouth to speak, but then did a double take, pausing to wonder at this question himself. What had changed? This was George Darling, who had once said, 'Dash the neighbors...dash the expense!' and adopted a herd of ruffians suddenly one night, and had supported his daughter's wish to become a novelist. So why was he forcing this upon Wendy and making her hate him with such a passion? He knew the answer.  
  
"Dear....do you remember those dreams that we kept 'locked' in that drawer for so many years? I thought myself brave for not taking those dreams out and benefiting myself, but rather making sure my family was happy. I sacrificed so many dreams to be a bank clerk. When I was promoted, it was harder and harder to keep the drawer closed; in fact it almost seemed as though it was trying to open itself!"  
  
Mrs. Darling looked surprised. She hadn't thought her husband to be one of temptation. He looked like he couldn't go on, so she urged him to do so. "Continue, if you please, George."  
  
"When we met the governor and he expressed the fact that his son wanted to marry Wendy...well, all my resolve just went out the window, and that drawer was completely open! I have no power over keeping it closed anymore. I can't think myself brave anymore; I'm nothing but a bloody coward!"  
  
"There, there, dear, no you're not! It's Wendy that needs to understand here that you are being so brave by keeping this family with a house! What you've done is ensure that no one in this family ever goes hungry again, that makes you such a hero! Wendy's being selfish, she has to accept that she's living in an era where people don't marry for love, they marry to survive. As much as you may think yourself a coward, you're not, George. You're a hero. You're saving this family from disaster, it's Wendy that needs to be put in her place, not you. She'll marry Edward. Don't you worry about a thing."  
  
Mrs. Darling had a rather stony look in her eyes as she continued with her rampant speech.  
  
"You try to sleep, dear. Don't let tonight trouble you, I'll go talk to Wendy right now; I'll try to set things straight."  
  
She wore a plastered smile which didn't reach her eyes. Mr. Darling kissed her gratefully.  
  
"It's no wonder I married you, you amazing woman. Tell Wendy I love her, won't you? Tell her that I'm so sorry for what I've done."  
  
"I will, but you don't need to be sorry about anything," Mrs. Darling said sweetly. She put out the lamp and flounced out of the bedroom, her red dressing gown trailing elegantly. She was more than furious. Her husband meant everything to her, and she was extremely protective of his well being. If Wendy had made him cry, she was going to pay.  
  
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The door to Wendy's room opened slowly, letting in the warm light from the hallway. It cast a glow over the silent blue-gray of Wendy's lightless room.  
  
"Wendy!" Mrs. Darling said in a commanding voice. "Wendy, wake up!"  
  
She walked over to the bed to find her daughter laying there, the infernal stench of alcohol on her lips. The now-empty bottle lay next to her; most of its contents had spilled all over her lovely starched sheets. Wendy began to open her eyes, and her mother took immediate notice  
  
Mrs. Darling swore under her breath. "You disgust me," she hissed as she pulled off her socks and proceeded to help her change into her nightdress. She lowered her face to Wendy's pale, sickly face. "Just between you and me," she said. "You're father's never going to know about this. You're a selfish little girl for making your father cry like that! Your father, who's the most important thing in the world to me."  
  
She grabbed Wendy's legs and slung them so that she was now fully on the bed, her head resting on the pillow. She moaned softly, and lifted a hand to rub her temple, but her mother grabbed it and forced it down. "Don't move, you ungrateful daughter. You don't deserve to have any relief from whatever pain you're in."  
  
"Mother....it was you? What? Where's fath-"  
  
"Shush! Your father's fine, you've made him feel awfully bad, now he feels just horrible. I hope you're happy, you fool of a daughter."  
  
Wendy looked at her mother, and felt all of the anger she felt towards her father rushing out, and it was replaced by a new burning one towards her mother.  
  
She stretched out her hand and felt for the chain on Wendy's neck. When she had located it, she tore it off, kiss and all. "I'll be taking that," she said softly, and turned on her heel and fled from the room before Wendy could do anything. It wouldn't have mattered, by that time she was unconscious again.  
  
The tyranny of the mother had risen.  
  
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Wendy's eyes fluttered open, and her room seemed to spin around. The first thing she noticed were the morning birds chirping and breaking the silence, and early sun streamed through her window and onto her face, calling her into a new morning. It would have been quite a pleasant scenario, if it hadn't been for the fact that her head ached terribly; her temples were throbbing with a kind of pain she'd never felt before.  
  
'I guess that's what one sip can to do a first-timer,' she thought sadly. If life was to continue the way it was, it would be the first of many times.  
  
The memories of the night before came rushing back to her-first her father, then forgiving her father, then the hatred for her overprotective mother.  
  
She sat up in bed and looked around. No sign that Peter had even been there. Not even her kiss, which her mother had so cruelly torn from her the night before. She felt sickness rising in her throat-a mixture of hatred and the previous night's alcohol. Her stupid, stupid mother had the thing that she held most dear next to the boy himself...and he was gone too.  
  
She would have to go about her wedding duties until Peter returned. He would. She knew he would. He had to, because they were in love.  
  
She would wait.  
  
'Please come and get me sometime BEFORE the wedding, Peter,' she thought to herself resignedly.  
  
But it was time for breakfast. She could wait later.  
  
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Afterthoughts: Hmmm..yah, I can definitely see a more flawed mother than father, can't you? While I was watching the movie, all I could think was "Wow, that woman is gonna snap one day". And she finally has! Just not in the movies. I really hope you enjoyed this time around, I worked quite hard on it. Oh, and Kimberly-A, I emailed you in regards to your beta offer, but you never returned the email, so if you're still interested drop me a note at clefai405@aol.com! Thanks!! I hope you all come back for fifteen!  
  
Mwah!!  
  
I LOVE YOU ALL  
  
~Ellie~  
  
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	15. A Late Night Job

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Notes from the Authoress: Hey guys, Ellie here! Before I say anything else, I want to apologize for the last chapter, it wasn't very good. I hope this one is better! Ummm big thanks to Ali and my new beta Missy (Cheers because she is a loser)! Anyways, enjoy this chapter, and read, review and most of all ENJOY!!!  
  
PS-for those of you who asked, I was in A Night at the Opera. It's a collection of scenes. I was in Die Zauberflote and L'egisto and Gondoliers. It was so much fun!!!!!!!  
  
I LOVE YOU ALL  
  
~ELLIE~  
  
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Peter found himself flying through unfamiliar surroundings. He was more accustomed to flying in the presence of either Tink or Wendy in the sky or in Neverland; he tried vainly not to crash into buildings and glowing streetlamps. He could see one person at the end of the road, who was steadily making his way towards Peter's end, shutting off each streetlamp as he went.  
  
Fearing that his flight would be discovered by the unidentifiable person, Peter cut short his flight and alighted on the cold sidewalk. His bare feet were so unaccustomed to the cold that they burned with a fire that only freezing weather can bring. He instinctively wrapped his arms around himself, and then realized that the rest of him wasn't quite as cold, as he was still wearing his clothes from dinner.  
  
'Why did I take those shoes off....you're an idiot, Pan!' he thought to himself as he hop-skipped around the sidewalk, trying desperately to find perhaps a patch of pavement that was not quite so cold. Only one with the mentality of a boy would attempt that; and attempt it he did, without any luck.  
  
"Hell," he swore softly as his foot hit a tiny shard of glass from a broken bottle that some schoolboys had left out there sometime earlier in the evening. It embedded itself in his foot, and a pain like none he had felt in quite sometime took over his being. He was used to wounds in the upper body, mostly from the swords and cutlasses of pirates. He was not used to wounds that hit the nerve, and tears sprung to his eyes.  
  
'I shan't cry,' he thought vehemently. 'Only pansies do that; and I'm no pansy!'  
  
How wrong he was. Peter Pan was too a pansy, whether he thought so or not. He had only to look down at his foot and see the blood blooming from around the shard-which was still embedded in his foot-and staining the little pile of snow next to him red, and he clean away fainted. You see, though Peter had been wounded many times in his life, he had always been too preoccupied with the next activity to worry about blood, and had never had the time to look at it; for you see, blood made Peter quite nauseous.  
  
There was a sickening thud as Peter hit the ground, soiling his crisp white dress shirt, and dirtying his pristinely clean, white face. A face that was very close to boyish perfection.  
  
The person who had been shutting off lights took quick notice of Peter's fall, and paused from his work to run over to Peter, who lay motionless on the cold pavement that burned his feet so.  
  
Before Peter's vision went completely black, he saw the person standing over him, his faint image swimming before him.  
  
Then everything was dark.  
  
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In his prison of unconsciousness, horrible visions swam before him. He saw Wendy marrying Edward, and living in a house with him and her children.  
  
He saw Edward drinking and hitting Wendy and her children. He saw a little girl who looked very much like Wendy hiding from both her parents, one an abusive alcoholic; the other turned to drinking in order to escape.  
  
He saw Wendy no longer the pristine, beautiful girl she once was, but a haggard looking, unkempt woman with circles under her eyes, walking unstably and crashing into tables as she went towards her room to be greeted by someone who would drive her even deeper into insanity and living Hell.  
  
He was watching his subconscious hell unfold right before his eyes. Unknowingly, tears began to slip down his face.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Peter....Peter! Wake up!" Peter was startled awake by someone shaking him violently. He heard their faint voice calling him back from his subconscious chamber. His eyes slowly began to open, but all he could see at the moment were unidentifiable shapes oozing around like a painting that has had poured water on it. His foot was still burning with pain, though he could feel where the blood had caked and dried. The glass was no longer in his foot; it had been taken out.  
  
"Peter, what are you doing out here? It's freezing!"  
  
The voice was so familiar. Peter could almost place it, but in his feverish state he couldn't concentrate. Slowly the colors began to come together into one picture, and the night began to take form before his eyes, as did the person who was now leaning right over him, staring directly into his eyes.  
  
All of a sudden, it all jumped together at light speed. Peter started.  
  
"John!"  
  
Startled by Peter's outburst John fell backwards onto the sidewalk, surprised. He then proceeded to lift himself off of the ground and put his glasses back on, for they had fallen off in the process.  
  
"Really, Peter, there's no need for that," he grumbled, wiping the dirt off of his jacket.  
  
"John....what are you doing here?" Peter cried. "I thought you went to bed long ago!!"  
  
"Well, technically, yes," John said, his cheeks flushing rather triumphantly. "But you see, I took a job as the lamp putter-outer a while ago because I wanted some extra money. Of course my parents weren't keen on the idea of me being out so late at night, especially when it's so dark out. So every night for...oh...I'd say the last two months, I've been out here putting out the street lamps. Makes very good money, you know." He looked utterly pleased with himself.  
  
'That little sneak,' Peter thought, grinning.  
  
"What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be in the nursery? Or did..." he trailed off, noticing the bruise on Peter's forehead from where he had been thrown against the window of Wendy's bedroom. A short silence followed, and then John spoke again.  
  
"Peter....what happened?"  
  
Peter took a deep breath and proceeded to tell John everything about that night. He included the kiss, the confession, and Mr. Darling interrupting them and going berserk, and kicking Peter out of the house.  
  
Afterwards John could only sit there and stare at Peter, dumbstruck. His mouth was hanging open, and his eyes were as big as the china saucers that Mrs. Darling kept in her kitchen.  
  
"I.....I....I can't believe it!" John said angrily, jumping to his feet. "And they're still making her marry that bastard?"  
  
Peter nodded, his visions rushing back into his mind, and he stood resolutely. "They can't married, John. You have to help me stop them. They won't believe you if you tell them about Edward. They'll just think you're trying to stir up trouble....do you think Wendy would tell them?"  
  
John shook his head. "She's too submissive....she wouldn't dream of it. Besides, they probably wouldn't believe her....or at least, father might. Usually when he has outbursts like that he feels horrible and guilty afterwards, and then it's mother who comes in and tells us off. It's rather horrid. I'm scared of what she might do to Wendy, though."  
  
"Why is it your mother that does that?" Peter asked curiously.  
  
"Because she loves father. She stands up for him all the time, and is constantly telling us why he's brave if we try to say something not-so-nice about him. She scares me a lot of the time. I hope she didn't get too mad at Wendy."  
  
Peter's anger at Mr. Darling lifted a little at his words, but his stomach was still in knots with anger at Mrs. Darling.  
  
"How long has this been going on?" Peter asked.  
  
"Maybe two years now. But I honestly think she feels badly afterwards, she always comes back and apologizes to us. It's like a vicious cycle."  
  
"I can't believe they'd let her marry someone like that," he whispered, his eyes blazing with an anger that was similar to that of Mrs. Darling's. "That's just disgusting."  
  
John nodded, and unearthed his wallet from within his jacket.  
  
"Peter," he said, his voice becoming instructive. "I'm going to give you some money to stay at the inn. You are going to rescue Wendy, and it will be grand and adventurous, and put my parents and Edward to shame! It will be magnificent, just wait!"  
  
Peter looked at John curiously, his spirits slightly lifted with John's energetic words. "How are we going to do it?" he asked.  
  
"I don't know yet," John said, a smile beginning to spread over his face. "I don't know, but when I do....Edward will have a wedding day to remember, mark my words!"  
  
Peter began to smile with John, feeling utterly cheerful with vengeance now. "A wedding day to remember," he repeated triumphantly.  
  
"Now go, Peter, go and stay at the inn for a while. I'll come and get you soon enough. Run!"  
  
Peter grabbed the money from John's hand and took to the air, his triumphant spirit soaring with him. "Goodbye John!" he called back to the boy's shrinking figure.  
  
He saw him wave, and heard his voice carrying over the wind. "Have faith, Peter!"  
  
John disappeared from sight, and Peter smiled happily.  
  
If John ever figured out what they were going to do, it would most certainly be a wedding day to remember.  
  
Now, where was that inn?  
  
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Afterthoughts: Well, that was a triumphant chapter! Kind of angsty at the beginning, yes, but overall kind of silly and lighthearted. Even I don't know how Peter and John are going to rescue Wendy, it's all a surprise!! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter more than the last, I'm sorry 14 was kind of a dud for you all. Thanks again!!!!  
  
I LOVE YOU ALL  
  
~Ellie~  
  
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	16. Reconciliation In the Form of Lies

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Notes from the Authoress: Hey guys! Ellie her, back with the lovely, the beautiful, CHAPTER 16!!! That was quite the drum roll moment. Anyways, before I actually say anything of true meaning, I would like to take a second out to apologize profusely to those of you who didn't like chapters thirteen and fourteen, I didn't mean to offend anyone's views on the parents, I think you might find this chapter slightly redeeming, I kind of reconsidered myself afterwards. But for people who are going to leave just nasty flames, I'd like to ask you to think before you write so that you might consider who you may be hurting in the process, ok? I'll try to make you all happy this time.  
  
Now, reverting back to the former subject. I saw 50 First Dates this weekend!!! SEAN ASTIN IS MY HERO! He is incredibly brave for taking on a rather embarrassing role like that. Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler were hilarious as well. I'd definitely recommend it. Also, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Jetso, Nitya, Kalie, Sandra and Kristina. You guys are great!! So read, review and most of all ENJOY!!!  
  
I LOVE YOU ALL  
  
~Ellie~  
  
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The next two days in the Darling household were the two most unbearable days Wendy had ever been forced to endure. There was a clipped silence between the entire family. No one really spoke to one another, and they minded their own business and made their own wedding preparations separately.  
  
The only substantial noise in that period was the clatter of the boys when they ate, but most of the time they were all whispers, wondering why there was such a rift between Wendy and her parents all of the sudden. Of course, it was with good reason seeing as Wendy hadn't spoken to either of them in two days.  
  
Wendy had taken it upon herself to indulge John in what had come to pass after Peter had left, and they had both shed a tear or two. In fact, after that night, John and Wendy remained the only older family members still talking, though mostly in the sanctuary of their bedrooms.  
  
Wendy had come to John more than once in those two days, usually in tears after sitting in silence at a meal with her family, or passing them in the hallway and avoiding eye contact. To think that these days were two of the four days left leading up to her wedding day! The younger boys often heard hushed voices coming from behind the closed doors of Wendy's room.  
  
It was one such time when Wendy almost completely lost it.  
  
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On the late afternoon of the second day, Wendy was summoned for tea in the parlor. This was a normalcy, but her parents had cancelled teatime the day before because they were both looking as though they were one of the living dead.  
  
Now, teatime was considered a rather formal event, and it was expected that the guests were to wear something rather nice. Wendy, having been drained and tired for the last day and half, had been wearing her nightgown and robe, and had kept her hair loose, mostly to spite her mother. She still hadn't been able to locate the kiss in her parents' room; she looked often when they went out on errands and such.  
  
Being summoned for tea meant that she had to change from her present lethargic state, and put on a.... corset.  
  
Wendy sat in her room, staring evilly at the dress that had been laid out for her. It wasn't that the dress wasn't pretty, but it had a bloody corset! Every single dress she had worn since age fourteen had had a corset; she was so tired of it!  
  
She considered spiting her parents yet again, and coming down to tea in her dressing gown, but she shuddered when she thought of the retribution she might receive for that. She already received little glances from her parents; she couldn't tell whether they were meant to be angry, disgusted, or pitying glances.  
  
'Well, no use arguing with myself now is there?' she thought candidly, and resignedly slipped out of her robe and proceeded to squeeze into the dress. The dress was a white skirted one, with a black bodice and a lacy collar. It was a very conservative choice on her mother's part. Before she had arranged the engagement, Mrs. Darling had chosen dresses without collars and smaller sleeves, so as to try to attract the attention to Wendy's better assets at parties and such, so as to impress potential suitors. You might even call the dresses that she wore slightly seductive.  
  
After she had been engaged, the dresses had been slightly more conservative, except for the party ones, which were meant solely to impress family and new relations.  
  
The dreaded corset became tighter and tighter, until Wendy only had enough space to inhale small, petite breaths that were common to a young lady. The corset did its job, though. It gave her figure an hourglass look, which apparently people found attractive.  
  
'Attractive on a dead person,' Wendy thought bitterly, sweeping her hair into a slightly disheveled bun. She caught a look of herself in the mirror and noticed her face had taken on a pale, pallor look. She almost considered not wearing makeup because she was simply too lazy to put it on, but then decided to brighten up her face to try and convince her parents that she was fine; that she wasn't suffering.  
  
A bit of rouge, some light lip color, just some things to make her face look less sunken and tired, and more rosy and fresh. This would give the illusion that she was well rested, though she could barely move, she had been so sleep deprived.  
  
A gust of icy winter wind hit her face, and she shivered, turning and walking over to the window so that she could close it. She put her hands on the window and gasped. She had almost closed it! There wasn't any way she was going to do that again, not after Peter had said he would come back to her. She knew he would. He just had to.  
  
She exited her room hurriedly, not looking back at the window. Her lonely steps echoed through the hall, and she looked at the pictures lining it. Pictures of her, her brother, her parents, the whole family....they all looked so happy. It brought tears to her eyes when she realized that her family would never again be the same happy, loving unit that they once were. She could almost see all the warm smiles in the pictures turn to frowns, and their lit-up eyes become gray and cloudy. She shook her head. No - still the same, happy pictures.  
  
It was teatime.  
  
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"Mother, Father," Wendy said upon entering the parlor, curtsying politely. Her mother and father nodded in return, and her mother motioned for her to take a seat in the red armchair next the sofa. She did so, sitting delicately, her emaciated figure looking like a wilted flower trying its best to stay upright so it can impress its owner just one more day before they are thrown away.  
  
"Tea?" Mr. Darling asked, and filled the three teacups sitting on the table next to the plate of little cakes. He proceeded with shaking hands to put a sugar in each cup.  
  
The three took a cup and began to drink in silence, smiling at one another politely every once in awhile. The silence was just unbearable. It was worse than being yelled at; at least it seemed that way to Wendy. Then again, her parents seemed to be enjoying themselves just fine.  
  
The tea went on this way for about ten minutes, until finally Mrs. Darling set down her teacup with unexpected force.  
  
"Wendy," she said seriously. "You weren't just called down here for tea, I'm sure you've come to that conclusion. You're here so that we can all talk about what's happened in the last few days. There are a lot of things we need to get out into the open."  
  
Wendy looked down at her lap, and saw her hands were shaking in them. She had been rather afraid that this would happen. "What is there to say, mother?"  
  
"Well, first of all, your father knows that you were drinking. I told him afterwards. That's a problem we're going to deal with later, though. First and foremost, I think apologies are in order from both your father and I. The way we've both acted in the past few days has just been atrocious, and I regret almost every word that I've said, or lack thereof."  
  
Wendy smiled at this, and her parents' tense faces relaxed a bit at her amusement. Her mother continued. "Especially the way I acted when I came into your room two nights ago. I'm just kicking myself for that every second of the day....it's just that when your father came back so upset because he felt so bad....something inside me just snapped. That's been a real problem lately; I think I just need to admit that to myself." Mrs. Darling now had tears in her eyes.  
  
"Wendy, please forgive me. I want you to have this back; I shouldn't have taken it in the first place." She took a chain from the table, and Wendy gasped when she saw it was her kiss. She grabbed for it all too quickly, and her mother looked rather surprised at her earnestness. She quickly fastened it around her neck, and sighed a great inward sigh of relief. She had felt absolutely naked without it, and being able to wear it again was a blessing.  
  
"Now," said her father in a slightly more commanding tone. "I don't regret making that Pan boy leave. I think he was just stirring up trouble in this family. Most of this is his fault."  
  
Wendy opened her mouth the protest, but thought better of it. The more submissive she was, the less suspicious her parents would be, making it easier for Peter to come back....if he did.  
  
'Shush, you idiot, of course he'll come back. Don't worry your self over this,' a voice inside her head snapped at her. So she smiled weakly at her father, and nodded.  
  
"Alright then, that matter settled. Now, about this drinking thing....what's that all about? How could you drink, never mind steal from me?"  
  
Wendy went a little pale, and made up an excuse on the spot. "I'm so sorry, father. I was just feeling so lost, I thought maybe it would help....now I know it won't, I promise it won't happen again," she lied forcefully.  
  
Her father gave her a beaming smile.  
  
"I knew we could solve this if we just sat down and talked this out," he cried, and held open his arms.  
  
Wendy went over to her father and embraced him, tears in her eyes. She in turn embraced her mother, and when she pulled away, the smiling, relieved faces of her family greeted her. She couldn't look at her mother the same way, though. Everything that she had said had just sounded so fake to her. She could pretend that everything was ok now.  
  
"Wendy, promise me you'll marry Edward. It's going to save the family, and I think that you'll be so happy."  
  
Wendy's smile fell. She felt a lump rise in her throat, and at that moment she just wanted to cry and tell them that she couldn't, she wouldn't. But she couldn't bear to see her poor father's genuine smile dashed, so out of guilt she nodded.  
  
"I will," she said, and her parents embraced her once again.  
  
Never had Wendy wanted more for Peter to come through the window and take her away forever. She had to believe that he'd come back for her, that she wouldn't have to marry Edward. Then she could say yes to her parents with a smile.  
  
"Well teatime's about over now," she said, smiling falsely. "I'll just be going now...."  
  
Not able to look at her parent's faces without being loaded with anger and guilt she walked from the room as quickly as possible, and made her way to the only person she could trust now.  
  
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Mrs. Darling turned to George. "I've never seen such a display of lying in my life. I can't believe it! Even after I apologized and meant it! I really just want my old Wendy back; the one who I love so much and would never hurt her family." Tears were running down her cheeks - she was a pitiful sight indeed.  
  
"I don't think she was lying, my love," Mr. Darling said, and Mrs. Darling looked at him sharply.  
  
"I'll decide how my daughter feels, thank you! It's a woman-to-woman sense, trust me. She wasn't lying to you, but without a doubt she was lying to me. Whatever, at least she's agreed to hold up her engagement without a fight."  
  
Mr. Darling looked at her, bewildered. He would never understand women.  
  
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"John!"  
  
Wendy threw the door to the nursery open, and all the boys in the nursery froze.  
  
"Oy, Wendy, how are ya m'lady? Care to tell us a story or two?" Slightly asked, brandishing a wooden cutlass. Wendy smiled and shook her head, walking over to John. She ruffled Slightly's hair, and motioned for John to follow her out of the room. He complied.  
  
"I'll be right back, pirates! Don't kill Hook just yet, I want him for myself!"  
  
As the door closed they heard the resounding cheers of the boys as they did exactly the opposite of what John requested, and rushed at Tootles, who had taken on the role of Hook.  
  
They laughed, and walked to Wendy's room together.  
  
Once they were in her room, they went and sat on the bed, facing each other Indian style.  
  
"Sooo," John began. "How was tea?"  
  
At that point, Wendy broke down. She began to sob, and John patted her on the shoulder, not really knowing what to do.  
  
"There, there," he said awkwardly. "What happened down there?"  
  
Wendy told him the whole story, and John just sat and listened intently, like a good brother should. At the end he seriously considered telling Wendy about his encounter with Peter the night before, but kept to his decision to surprise her on her wedding day. Unfortunately, he wasn't really sure how it was going to happen. He was still without any substantial plan. He had to think of one, and soon.  
  
"I'm sorry, Wendy."  
  
"But John, you don't understand! I only said yes because I was convinced that Peter's going to come back.....but what if he doesn't? What if he went back to Neverland or....or he got lost in London or something? He's never been anywhere in London, he could very well be dead!" she sniffed, wiping tears away from her face.  
  
John's heart went out to his desolate sister; he really had to hold his tongue.  
  
"Wendy, Peter will come back. Never stop believing that, because when you do....he won't come back. Believe, and he'll return." He gave Wendy an encouraging smile, and she grinned widely.  
  
"Oh John! You are truly the most wonderful brother a girl could ask for!" she cried, and pulled John into a huge embrace, which John found very awkward, and remained stiff as a board until she pulled away, smiling.  
  
"No one inspires me like you," she said.  
  
John gulped.  
  
He really had to think of an idea, didn't he now?  
  
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Afterthoughts: Ok, I love John! I didn't feel like he had a big enough part in the movie, so I wanted to emphasize his presence in this one. I hope you all like this chapter, even the people who were kind enough to flame me! I worked very, very hard on this chapter to make sure it wasn't ridiculous and that it was enjoyable. Please, please enjoy it!! Sorry, beggar moment there.  
  
I'll be back soon with chapter 17!!! Please be patient!!! MWAH!!  
  
I LOVE YOU ALL  
  
~Ellie~  
  
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	17. Sometime in the Night

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Notes from the Authoress: Hey guys, Ellie here, back with chapter 17!!! I personally think that this is a good attempt at humor on my part, so I hope you enjoy it and find it funny! I'm going skiing in Vermont this weekend, so 18 probably won't be up until sometime in the middle of next week.  
  
Sois patient s'il vous plait!!! Merci beaucoup!!!  
  
Oh, the mad French skills of me. Anyways, read, review and most of all enjoy!!!!  
  
I LOVE YOU ALL  
  
~Ellie~  
  
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It was yet another chilly night in the heart of London, where the Darlings lived. Although at the moment the house was the farthest thing from John's mind.  
  
Yes, he was on his nightly walk around the center of London, putting out cold, dark streetlamps for money. Some may have called it a lonely job, but John was quick to contradict. On the contrary, he thought, the job was a rather peaceful one. It was an excellent chance to think about....well....anything.  
  
That late at night....well, the streets were empty, and most of the glowing lights from the windows were shut off, save the few whose inhabitants liked to read long into the night, very much like him.  
  
John would make an unknowing but fast mental connection with the people that he would see reading, for he himself was an avid reader, but lately had been drawn away from his childhood books of pleasure, and the strings of adulthood were beginning to pull on his heart.  
  
He could see his future in the distance, and most unfortunately, he could see no books in it. He yearned for the simple lives of the people he saw in those windows, who could sit there reading for hours on end, and not have their father come in and tell them that they were addled in the brain for doing such a thing.  
  
Now, not to say that John didn't love his family. He respected and cared for his parents, and had brought them much joy with his penchant for following rules and doing exactly as he was told. He loved his brother Michael, who had always looked up to him as a role model. His big blue eyes were always so full of admiration, respect and wonder.  
  
John wondered if perhaps it was Michael's dream to become a man like him. It saddened his heart to think so. He loved the Lost Boys, over the six years they had lived in the Darling household they had become just like brothers to him, and their wily and adventurous spirits brought Michael to new levels of confidence that John had not that possible of his brother. They were indeed little rogues, but lovable all the same.  
  
And of course, he loved his sister Wendy. Before Peter had arrived back in the nursery he and Wendy had been steadily growing apart, moving in two different directions towards two different futures. Very, very different. John desired to become a politician and to bring change to England and perhaps the world. He could in fact pursue this dream.  
  
Wendy's dream was to be a novelist or an adventurer, but being a lady she could not pursue that future. Her fate was to be a housewife, to cook, clean, and to care for her children and husband. It seemed such a dreary fate to both of them.  
  
They had come to bond over these dreams ever since Peter had returned, and it broke John's heart to see her pulled away from him, especially by his parents whom he had thought both kind and understanding. They were still kind yes, but stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid. They were tearing apart the happiness of everyone in the Darling family.  
  
His thoughts turned to Edward. That sick, perverse bastard. He couldn't stand the way he was treating his sister, and on many occasions had had to try very hard not to smack him across the face, or even kill him.  
  
His musings were trivial now, though. Higher things were at stake, such as his sister's dreams and perhaps even sanity. He had to come up with a plan quickly, as there was only one day left before the wedding. He had to think of some way to expose Edward's horrible nature to his parents, and perhaps, if he was lucky, embarrass him in front of everyone who was invited to the wedding. Because Edward's family was so prosperous and high in stature, there was sure to be an enormous turnout.  
  
He found that his route had taken him to Kensington Gardens, a place that was so beautiful just to walk or sit in, so sit he did. He found the nearest bench and sat down to think for a while. He was determined to come up with a plan if he had to stay until the early morning. No later, though. He had to be back before his parents awoke and found that he was gone. Only God knew what they would do to him if they found he had taken the job against their wishes.  
  
He sat for quite some time, an hour at least. Every plan that he had thought of so far had seemed perfect, but there had always been some sort of little annoying flaw in it. Damn master plans! They hardly every worked.  
  
He sat for some time more, and just as he was about to doze off from drowsiness and the mere fact that he was numb with cold, he gave a start. A chorus of Hallelujah angels fluttered around his head and sang praise, and he jumped up from the bench triumphantly, not caring if any of the late night readers saw him from their windows.  
  
He had an idea! Finally!  
  
'Took me long enough,' he thought as he looked down at his wind-ridden fingers. He had gloves that didn't have any fingertips, which was unfortunate in this sort of weather.  
  
He was too busy musing over the genius of his plan to worry about the cold, though. He had to go find Peter, and quickly! Hopefully he had found the inn ok. John felt a pang of guilt, knowing that the only inn in town that he could possible afford was rather an iffy sort of place.  
  
No matter, he would go to him and tell him of his plan. They would save Wendy together!  
  
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John entered the musty smelling inn. It was dimly lit and noisy, and John's guilt pangs grew larger. He hoped he could find Peter in the midst of all the hub. If he had ever come.  
  
Dirty, uncouth men were drinking and burping and gambling in dark corners of the room, and some rather slutty women were lounging about, looking for an unsuspecting man to prey on. Unfortunately, the inn never saw much of a show from the girls because all of the men that they desired were much too rich to stay at an inn of such low integrity.  
  
But tonight was different. Over in the corner a group of women were surrounding a person that John couldn't see, as the flamboyant dresses of the women were impossible to see through. They were giggling and talking and moving in on whoever the poor lad was.  
  
'That's strange, that kind of thing never happens around here,' John thought curiously, and sidled over to that side of the room, hoping to catch a glimpse of the person whom they were all so smitten with.  
  
"'Scuse me, ladies, 'scuse me," John muttered, pushing his way through the crowd. The girls scowled at him and cried thing like,  
  
"Oy! Laddie! You're much too young to be in here!"  
  
"You don't drink, do ya? Got some change to spare for a scotch?"  
  
"Eh, he may be young but he's a cute one...come back in three years, boy, then we'll have something or other for ya!"  
  
Disgusted, John scowled at the ladies and pushed the aside, and finally reached the person they were so seemingly in love with. He almost died when he saw who it was.  
  
Peter, looking confused and slightly disheveled, was sitting on a bench in the corner, looking upset and bewildered, his hair even more mussed than it usually was, and his once nicely ironed shirt wrinkled and slightly off- white. He had a few stray lipstick marks on his cheeks, and he looked as though he was about to cry. It was certainly a sight to see. John burst out laughing.  
  
"John!" cried Peter, standing up quickly. "John! Thank GOD you've come! I've been stuck with these....with these....crazy people for over three days, and I haven't liked it one bit!"  
  
The smiles on the ladies' faces fell with his words.  
  
"So, are you just going to stand there and laugh at me? Do something!" he said frantically.  
  
Still chuckling, John grabbed Peter by the arm and pulled him out of the circle of crestfallen ladies, who implored Peter to come back and have another round with them after he was finished with whatever business he had to attend to.  
  
"Bye cutie! Make sure to come back and tell us some more stories, eh?"  
  
"Don't forget, you still owe us another round!"  
  
Peter stumbled away from the group, looking frightened and angry. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him up the stairs, with John close behind. He ran until he reached room number seventeen, to which he flung the door open and ran inside with John, flinging it closed and locking it behind them. He ran to the bed and flopped across it, breathing heavily. He turned to John with evil eyes.  
  
"How could you leave me here with those....with those....animals? Do you realize what I've been through the past few days! They won't leave me alone! They're constantly calling me 'cutie' and 'beautiful' and they keep on kissing me on the cheek and trying to get me to drink that disgusting- smelling stuff they call scotch. Their faces look like they've been painted on, and their breath stinks! Why, John. Why!" Peter wailed, and John silenced him by putting a hand over his mouth, still shaking with silent laughter. His face was red.  
  
Just the sad, bewildered look on Peter's face was enough to set him into a fit of laughter. The poor boy. He no longer felt guilty, just really bad that he had made him stay with sluts for four days without knowing what they were exactly.  
  
"I'm so sorry, Peter, forgive me," John chuckled, sitting down on the bed next to Peter, who now sat on it cross-legged, trying grumpily to fix his mussed hair, but to no avail.  
  
"So, why are you here? Did you think of something? PLEASE say I don't have to stay here much longer!" Peter pleaded frantically, tears in his eyes.  
  
"Of course not," John responded simply. "Just one more day. One more day until the wedding. One more day until we can execute my plan! Of course, I'll have to start arrangements tomorrow when the bridal party comes to our house and all but....oh, that's right! I forgot to tell you! I finally have a plan. That's why I came here, so I could tell you about it."  
  
Peter heaved a huge sigh of relief, and leaned towards John, looking at him expectantly.  
  
"Well, tell it already!" he cried imploringly.  
  
"Alright, alright," John muttered. "Here it goes..."  
  
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Over the next hour, John proceeded to tell Peter of his plan, and together they worked out the details of how it would be executed.  
  
(A/N-Oooh, Yes, I know that was mean of me!! But you'll find out what the plan is soon enough....so get back to reading!! Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain (or in my case girl)!!!!)  
  
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Once they had finished nitpicking all the little details and crannies, John got up to leave.  
  
"Where are you going?" Peter demanded nervously.  
  
"Home," John responded. "It's almost early morning, and I don't want my parents to know that I've been out all night, or have them find out about my job. Goodbye and goodnight, Peter."  
  
He turned to leave, and Peter grabbed his arm.  
  
"No! Please don't leave me here with those barbarians!"  
  
Grinning, John jerked his arm free of Peter's grasp and began to walk out the door. "Good NIGHT, Peter."  
  
"John!"  
  
He sighed exasperatedly and turned to face Peter again.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
Peter blushed and whispered, "Tell....tell Wendy that I love her."  
  
John smiled and nodded, and closed the door behind him. Peter smiled. The plan was to be put in action tomorrow! Not that he would have anything today until the actual day of the wedding, though.  
  
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Afterthoughts: OK, so the next chapter is going to be the day before the wedding and the beginning of the day of the wedding, alrighty?? That'll pace it up a little more. I hope you all enjoyed chapter 17, it was a fun one to write! Especially the part about Peter the pimp. Teehee. I hope you all come back for chapter 18!!!  
  
I LOVE YOU ALL  
  
~Ellie~  
  
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	18. The Beginning of the End, Just a Bit

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Notes from the Authoress: Hey guys, Ellie here! I'm back with chapter 18, after much tedious plot work. This chapter was not a whole lot of fun to write, although the subject matter is a bit humorous. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it a lot! Read, review and most of all ENJOY! My readers are my saviors.  
  
I LOVE YOU ALL  
  
~Ellie~  
  
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The sun rose upon the day before the wedding with a taunting glare that pierced Wendy's closed eyes. She groaned and rolled over onto her side, hoping to escape the final sunrise before she was to wear her faerie-white gown again.  
  
It was to no avail. The sun was a merciless star that morning, and the glare continued to scorch her closed eyes. Reluctantly, Wendy opened her eyes to see her curtains full open, and her messy room all tidy, and smelling very much like lilies-of-the-valley. It was an unexpected and pleasant surprise on her part, and she wondered who would have taken time out of their busy schedules to tidy up her room so nicely.  
  
Her pleasant thoughts were quickly erased from her mind as she looked to the door. Hanging from the knob was yet another dress, with a corset. Wendy groaned, and put her head in her hands.  
  
She had forgotten about the rehearsal dinner! Of all things to forget....she hadn't even picked out a dress - her mother had obviously picked it out for her. That also explained the phenomenon as to why her room was so clean. The dinner was to be at the Darling household, and everyone who was going to be included in the wedding ceremony was going to be arriving later that day. She still had quite a bit of time left, right?  
  
Wrong. She looked at the little antique clock that rested on her bedside table, and saw that it was quarter to three, and Wendy cried out in frustration. The guests would be arriving in a little over an hour! Why had her parents let her sleep for so long?  
  
'Probably because they've noticed the circles under my eyes. Can't get anything past those two,' she thought miserably, and proceeded to roll out of bed, a tired mess.  
  
She walked over to her dresser, where her washing things were, and took the bar of soap that rested next to her porcelain bowl of water and began to wash. The soap stung her face, a reminder of how her clean purity was going to be the death of life as she knew it, and the roughness brought tears to her eyes.  
  
Wendy's washing process was a long and tedious one. She had learned from her mother that every inch of her skin was precious, and there was nothing to be gained except for extra wrinkles in places that were neglected.  
  
She cleaned herself inch by inch, and when she was finally ready to change into her dress, her skin glowed with a morning (or in her case afternoon) freshness, and had taken on a pinker sheen due to the roughness of her soap. One could easily see why Peter had referred to her as an angel so many times in his life. She could have easily been mistaken for one at that moment.  
  
She unbuttoned her nightdress and prepared to once again don the corset of doom. She no longer dreaded the corset, she realized. She had worn it one too many times, and was more than prepared for the loss of air the bloody things brought with them.  
  
Wendy had to admit, her mother had really outdone herself this time with her dress. It was a royal blue silk material, with very short sleeves; one might even call it sleeveless. A tad bit provocative for a family gathering, but beautiful all the same. The corset and bodice were a lacing mess of silver and blue, and there was a yellow rose pinned to the part of the fabric where the corset met the sleeves. The skirt was billowy and swishy, and it seemed to be made more of water than silk. Her shoes were a very similar blue.  
  
It was the first dress with a corset that Wendy had ever enjoyed seeing herself in. It made her feel like a princess; so much so that she barely noticed the pain as each lace on the corset was done up. The blue of the dress set off her pale complexion, and she decided to go against all odds and leave her hair down, but decided to appease her mother and pull her hair half back with a diamond clip. In short, she was stunning. As always.  
  
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The process of preparing for the gathering had taken quite some time, and when she was finally finished she glanced at the clock and saw that it was ten minutes to four. With one last look in the mirror to make sure everything was in place, she hurried from her room so that she could greet the guests, as was expected.  
  
Her shoes were absolutely painful to walk in, and she made her way carefully down the stairs so she wouldn't fall. Her parents awaited her in the foyer. Her mother smiled delightedly, and her father looked on proudly.  
  
"You look enchanting, precious!" Mrs. Darling cried as she ran to give Wendy a kiss on the cheek. Wendy gave her a rather forced smile and a muttered, 'Thank you,' and went to join her father, who smiled.  
  
"You would make any man happy," he whispered to Wendy, and she smiled a real, genuine smile. Inwardly she thought, 'I make Peter happy. Why won't they let me be with him?'  
  
But her sullen thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell, signaling that the first guest had arrived. Mrs. Darling flung open the door excitedly, and exclaimed, "Wendy, your bridesmaids are here!"  
  
Wendy groaned inwardly. All six of her first cousins were her bridesmaids. Kathryn, Josephine, Felicity, Brianne, Sarah, and Leah were all very much alike. All six of them were quite attractive and sociable, but compensated with their completely empty heads. At Christmas Josephine had managed to set the entire turkey on fire while trying to help Mrs. Darling.  
  
Leah and Kathryn had somehow managed to poison their own cat, and had never realized it was their fault. They had cried for days. Felicity, Brianne, and Sarah were all sisters, and their biggest folly to date was the time when they had managed to somehow capsize their boat when they had all vacationed together at the Darling summer cottage.  
  
There they were, standing there and chatting excitedly. They were all overly dressed for the occasion, and Wendy almost fainted from the perfume scent as each one of them embraced her and congratulated her loudly.  
  
"I'm so glad you all could come," Mrs. Darling gushed. Wendy nodded.  
  
"Oh, y'know...our pleasure!" Brianne said cheerily. "Glad to be here."  
  
They all made their way into the parlor, and Wendy followed them resignedly.  
  
The party had started.  
  
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The party was well underway; all of the guests had arrived at least an hour ago. John had been very busy socializing, but was dying to get away from the stuffy members of Edward's family. It was so very obvious that they were all rich, and all they could think of to talk about was how prestigious his school was compared to their own children. They had quite the habit of talking to the Darling side of the family as though they were below them, and they were less educated and well bred. Typical of rich folk.  
  
He noticed that his least favorite cousins were there....he wasn't a very big fan of his six first cousins. They had tormented him one time too many when they were younger; he would never forgive them for the time they broke his wooden spear when he was ten. That was an absolutely traumatizing experience. Unfortunately he knew that if he were to carry out his plan and save Wendy from Edward, he would have to lower himself to their conniving level.  
  
Ah yes, Edward. He had arrived about quarter past four, looking very pompous and self-righteous. He had latched onto Wendy and had not let her out of his sight the entire afternoon. It was sickening how he just stared at her and grasped her wrist tightly when he wanted her to come and meet a relative. He was wearing a suit that looked as though it had been incredibly expensive, and he looked pityingly upon the Darling boys and men who couldn't afford such clothing. Wendy looked bored and uncomfortable, and she kept on looking towards the window as if Peter would come crashing through at any time.  
  
'Not till tomorrow,' he thought. He wanted to go and get Wendy away from Edward, but now was not the time. Taking a deep breath, he walked over to Brianne, who was at the time flirting madly with a man from Edward's side of the family that looked twice her age. He tapped her shoulder, and she whirled around, a dirty look on her face.  
  
"What do you want, bugger?" she scowled. "Can't you see I'm busy?"  
  
John ignored her and said quietly, "Come with me, I have to ask you something."  
  
Brianne shook her head vehemently, but John glared at her and whispered, "Now."  
  
She groaned and followed him out of the parlor and into the now empty kitchen, where all was silent. Out of habit, John stayed away from the knife rack, a mixture of his fear of pointy objects and of Brianne the driving forces behind that.  
  
"Ok, so I'm here. What the HELL do you want, you little savage?" Brianne cried impatiently.  
  
"Well, you've seen the man Wendy's going to marry tomorrow, right?"  
  
Brianne nodded her head.  
  
"Do you find him...attractive?"  
  
Brianne couldn't see where this was going. "Of course, who wouldn't? He's got those nice eyes...."  
  
Before she could continue, John interrupted, "Brianne....if i-if I paid you....would you be willing to get him into the broom closet before the wedding tomorrow?"  
  
Brianne gasped. "No! I wouldn't do that! Well, maybe I would...but you couldn't possibly have enough money to make me do that, you don't even have a job!"  
  
John smiled at her comment, and pulled an alarmingly large sum of money out of his pocket. It was most of his savings from his late-night job.  
  
"Think again," he said coolly. "Is this enough?"  
  
Brianne's eyes lit up, and she grabbed the money from John's hand.  
  
"It's a deal!" she exclaimed, pocketing the money gleefully. "So....right before he's supposed to come out and everything?"  
  
John nodded. "That's right. Don't forget, I want EVEYBODY to see this."  
  
Brianne smiled coyly. "And may I ask why you want me to do this?" she asked.  
  
She was feeling slightly more amiable towards John now that he had given her money. In her world, money and men always made things better. She was getting both out of this deal.  
  
"We should get back to the party before anyone notices we went missing," John said, and Brianne hop-skipped happily from the kitchen. John looked after her and smiled.  
  
"My cousin's a whore," he laughed to himself. Tomorrow was going to be quite the wedding. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------  
  
Afterthoughts: Well, I hope you liked chapter 18! It was somewhat difficult to write plot-wise, so I hope it was enjoyable. I'm sorry I couldn't get it up sooner, I was skiing this weekend. It was very much fun, thank you! I'll be back soon with chapter 19! I can't believe IDF is slowly coming to a close, it makes me kind of sad. My first ever is ending. *SOB*  
  
I LOVE YOU ALL  
  
~Ellie~  
  
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	19. Today's the Day When Dreaming Ends

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Notes from the Authoress: Hey everyone, Ellie here! Terribly, terribly sorry I took so long with chapter 19. I got I think about five reviews for chapter 18, so I wasn't exactly as motivated as I had been before. Nevertheless, I worked very, very hard on this chapter and I really hope you enjoy it, it's all starting wrap up now, the end is in sight! I'd like to dedicate the chapter to Hannah and Su. Can't wait to go to school with you guys on Monday!  
  
I LOVE YOU ALL  
  
~Ellie~  
  
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Wendy wasn't one to have horrid, horrid nightmares. True, ever since Peter had left her sleep had been taunted with the mysterious and the strange, but never anything so blatantly evil as what she dreamed the night before she was to be married. One would wish that such evil never came upon a sweet girl of Wendy's stature, but alas, come it did.  
  
Now; the dream.  
  
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Wendy's eyes opened, it had certainly been a restful night. Funny it should be that way, she was getting married today. For some reason, though, she wasn't filled with the same dreary dread that filled her every other morning; instead she felt elated, as though she could fly once again! She now knew the joys of waking up on the day of your wedding, the wonderful, warm feeling inside that reminded her of the one she loved.  
  
Because she did love Edward. How could she deny that? Such a handsome, debonair young man had chosen her to be his soul mate when he could have chosen from hundreds of girls prettier and wealthier than she. How lovely for the pauper to marry the prince! Peter did not even cross her mind....she no longer understood what he was. He was probably a dream, a shadow of a doubt before her marriage; for one always gets rather cold feet....it's a lifelong vow!  
  
She climbed out of bed and her elated spirit practically floated her across her room to where her wedding dress lay, looking more beautiful than ever. It would truly give her beloved a shock.  
  
As often happens in dreams, Wendy was suddenly wearing the dress and veil, no questions asked. She took a quick glance at herself in the mirror and gazed lovingly and admiringly at her reflection, and then with a hop-skip she danced into the hallway, past the nursery and down the stairs, where her brothers, the lost boys and her parents awaited. They all looked lovely, smelled lovely and looked so truly proud to see their daughter so happy.  
  
Everyone's mouth was moving, but no words could be heard. This confused Wendy, did she have an ear infection? As the sound disappeared, so did the illusion before her face. The lovely air of a confectionary slowly melted away, as did the pale skin of her family, and their sugar coated smiles. Curiously, they looked like the villains in many of the dead pirate stories she had read, skinless; with only shreds of clothing left on their sallow bodies. They smiled toothless grins, and hollow eyes burned into her face. She screamed.  
  
Again, no sound. The family advanced toward her, forming a circle. Wendy's silent screams fell upon deaf ears, and everything went black.  
  
All of the sudden Wendy was standing outside the church, her elated feeling and the noise of the world had returned; for inside waited Edward! With a large taffy grin upon her face, she began to take dainty little steps up the church stairs when she heard her name.  
  
"Wendy!"  
  
She looked around and saw nothing.  
  
"Wendy!"  
  
Still nothing.  
  
"Show me yourself, if you please! I have a wedding to attend to!"  
  
There was a tap on her shoulder, and she whirled around to find herself staring into the endlessly deep blue eyes of Peter. They were so warm, so confused. Wendy failed to see that. He was wearing normal street clothing, and save for his unnatural good looks he looked every bit as much a street urchin.  
  
"Uh...can I help you? If you're selling flowers or the like I won't have it....and how do you know my name?"  
  
Peter looked terrified, and took her hand in his, quivering. "Wendy, don't tell me you don't know who I am. You can't have forgotten, I just told you I loved you a few days ago! You have no idea what I've had to go through so that I could come back and save you from that rat, Edward."  
  
Wendy tore her hand from his, looking offended and scared. "I don't even know you, how on EARTH could you have told me you're in love with me? I'm sure there's another Wendy around London, because you have the wrong one....and by the way, Edward is not a rat. I happen to be marrying him because I love him. If it's money you want, here," she scoffed, taking a few bills from her clutch.  
  
Peter's face fell, and tears came to his eyes. "So this is how it's going to be...." he said quietly, and turned to walk away. Wendy was perfectly satisfied with her decision to rid herself of the beggar; she still felt that maybe she would have gained something by letting him stay. No time to ponder, though, it was time to get married.  
  
Suddenly she fast-forwarded to seven years in the future.  
  
"Jane! Come here! Come here! You're father's in one of those 'moods', it's best if you just stay away from him tonight. Don't want to make Daddy mad, eh?"  
  
She picked up Jane and placed her on her lap. She was such a beautiful creature, not reminiscent of Wendy at all. She had blonde curls like Wendy had never seen, and her eyes were a shade of unidentifiable violet-gray. Her skin had a sunny complexion, and her smile was as big as her face.  
  
"But mu-mu, Daddy promised me yesterday we could go out for ice cream! Ms. Leah told us it was a bad thing to break promises." Without as much as a fare-you-well, Jane hopped off her mother's lap and ran to the study where her father was.  
  
Now, by moods Wendy had meant that Edward had once again returned to the house in a drunken stupor, and was known to hit anything he saw.  
  
This was no different.  
  
"WENDY! I DON'T WANT TO SEE THIS CHILD NEAR ME!"  
  
Edward came crashing into the living room, a bottle of gin in his left hand. He was beet red, and panting slightly.  
  
The beating that ensued was one that Wendy had never experience before, both emotionally and physically scarring.  
  
"Stop! Please! I...."  
  
A hand covered her mouth, and she went utterly silent.  
  
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Wendy awoke crying, her mother standing beside her. "Darling, what's the matter?" she cried, throwing herself upon Wendy in a protective hug, "Whatever has upset you so?"  
  
Wendy wiped the tears from her eyes, and gave her mother a small smile. "Nothing, mother. Just a bad dream. I can't even really remember anyways."  
  
Mrs. Darling never was one to catch on. "Very well, then. We leave for the church in an hour! We are going to make you the most beautiful bride England has ever seen. Come, now. Go put your dress on and I'll deal with your hair and makeup, because you look a frightful mess right now."  
  
Wendy dragged herself from her bed over to the faerie dress, and disappeared into the bathroom with it. While she was changing, she thought about her dream. She had never had such an upsetting or realistic dream, and she resolved to kill herself the day after the wedding if Peter didn't show up to save her. It was the only way to stop her dream from coming true, because knowing Edward he would become a raging alcoholic, and she would become the frightened, excuse-giving wife and mother was not exactly a charming future. It was quite sad that these days should be hers.  
  
"Alright, mother, I'm done." Wendy stepped out of the bathroom, looking like a fallen angel. As she had already come to find, she looked spectacular in her dress, but her sickly complexion made her look like a faerie that no one believed in anymore. Her mother clucked her tongue. "Oh dear," she sighed, "Well, it's nothing a bit of makeup and my lovely hair styling won't fix."  
  
Mrs. Darling proceeded to give Wendy the full treatment, and Wendy had expected to look just marvelous when she was finished with, but when she looked into the mirror she almost cried. While to everyone else she would look beautiful, to herself (and probably Peter as well, if he could have seen her) she looked like an empty body with paint on her face. The lipstick looked caked, as did the powder that her mother had used to hide her sickly pallor.  
  
The mascara and eyeliner didn't look even; instead it looked smudgy and lopsided. That might have just been because everything was practically swimming before her eyes, she couldn't really make out anything clearly. Her hair was in a simple up do decorated with diamonds that her mother owned. She swallowed a lump in her throat and turned to face her mother. "Thank, you mother. It's beautiful," she lied forcefully. Mrs. Darling smiled delightedly.  
  
"Well, let's go downstairs, shall we? It's time for you to get married."  
  
Wendy nodded silently, and followed her mother out of her room and down into the foyer, where all of her family waited. It was reminiscent of her dream, because although everyone was talking excitedly Wendy could hear nothing, and it all happened so fast that she never even noticed herself hugging her family, climbing into the carriage or speeding down the road until....  
  
Until she looked out of the carriage window and her dreamlike trance halted completely.  
  
She was in front of the church, the ominous building that contained her future.  
  
How had it happened so fast? She hadn't even given herself time to collect her thoughts.  
  
She turned her face away from her family and let a single tear slip down her cheek.  
  
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Afterthoughts: Well, I hope you liked that! The dream sequence is a tad heartbreaking, I didn't like Wendy reacting to Peter like that. Hmmm...another Peter-less chapter. But he'll be back, I promise! The end is in sight! The beautiful unity of Neverland kiddies is in store! Hahahaha, yes, I know that I'm crazy. Just take it in stride and bear with me.  
  
I LOVE YOU ALL  
  
~Ellie~  
  
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	20. The End

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Notes from the Authoress: Hey guys, Ellie here! That's way 19 was not exactly up to par. Sorry loves! Anyways, this fic is finally coming to a close with chapter 20, and it's been very hard to say goodbye. I've just had the most amazing time writing this, and I thank all of you for your support and reviews, criticism and comments. I couldn't have done it without you guys; you're the ones who keep me writing. Sooo....are you ready for the tumultuous chapter 20? Alright! Read, review and most all, ENJOY!!!  
  
I LOVE YOU ALL  
  
~Ellie~  
  
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The church was one of special magnificence. Its steeple shone of gold in the early afternoon sun, and there were countless religious figures pieced together by stained glass that stared blankly out upon the bustling streets of London. It was quite obvious that Edward's family were the ones who were paying for the whole affair; not even after Mr. Darling's promotion could Wendy's family afford such a grandiose location.  
  
Its location was perfect as well. It had the most darling view of picturesque London, with sprawling streets of shops, inns and quintessential Victorian houses. The people who milled about on the streets with their peddling carts and children were smiling and laughing as they made trivial, pointless jokes to one another. Under any other circumstances this would have been the most marvelous place Wendy could think of to be wed.  
  
Unfortunately, the circumstances that she was currently under gave Wendy a bleak outlook on the whole place. Everything seemed to have a grey shadow cast over it, a sad, foreboding sign of things that had not yet come to pass. The happy people seemed to stare when they passed, as though thrown under a sudden rain cloud (Wendy's perpetual sorrow, she supposed).  
  
She stepped out of the carriage daintily with the help of a distinguished- looking man who she'd never seen before; whose services were obviously bought by Edward's family. Her white shoes hit the ground with a light thud, and her faerie skirt came whirling down to hide her legs and feet. Wendy looked up at the church, but it was quite difficult to look at through her thick white veil that hid her from the rest of the world.  
  
'Maybe that's why brides wear veils. Maybe it's a sort of drug or something; they can't see who they're marrying.'  
  
The trek up the church steps was long and boring, with her family chatting excitedly around her. She clutched her bouquet of red and white roses tighter, feeling many of the thorns stick into her hand. She didn't loosen her grip, but instead grabbed tighter until the roses were practically stuck to her hands, relishing the feeling of the cool blood slipping down her hands. The pain took her mind of the wedding for the time being.  
  
The doors of the church were a deep, rich mahogany with a majestic looking door knocker that resembled a boar's head. They instead entered through a little side door, where Wendy was ushered into a room with a mirror in it for last minute alterations to her dress and makeup and hair. It was like her mother liked to refer to as the breathing room; a place to catch your breath before the wedding.  
  
The room was quite bare, with a full length mirror at one end, and a very short stool on which Wendy could stand. Three stout, short women sat in chairs on the other end with a little sewing basket full of god-knows-what; and when they saw Wendy they jumped to their feet and rushed to her, dragging her over to the stool.  
  
"My darling, don't you look beautiful!" one of them squealed delightedly, as the three ladies presently kneeled to the floor and began to stick colorful little needles in the hem of her dress. Wendy felt quite violated by this, and opened her mouth to protest, but her mother gave her one of her infamous looks and she snapped her mouth shut.  
  
She stared off into space as the women fussed over her skirt and train and shoes. There was nothing really exceptional about the room, but for some reason it comforted her. Her eyes wandered to the corner, where she noticed something strange.  
  
Wendy's eyes practically popped out of her head when she saw what lay in the corner.  
  
It was a kiss! A lovely, tiny acorn kiss strung on a silver chain, laid there quite inconspicuously by an unidentified visitor. A smiled broke Wendy's stoic face....Peter must be somewhere in the church! He was going to rescue her! The kiss seemed to smile and wink and Wendy in a comforting and encouraging sort of way, so Wendy didn't even take notice when the three little ladies rose from their squatting position to announce that they had finished.  
  
She saw the lost boys pass the room, and Slightly stopped to wave, and she reciprocated quite jovially. He turned to leave, but before he did he gave her a broad wink and then ran away, leaving Wendy a bit confused. Did he know something she didn't know? The little bugger, he was a mischief maker fit for Neverland, alright.  
  
He was one of those boys that would make a completely romantic boyfriend and a roguish best friend at the same time. He took after Peter in that sense. This thought made Wendy smile. She was considerably more elated than before now that she suspected that Peter might be somewhere, readying himself to rescue his true love!  
  
Presently, Wendy heard Edward's voice in the hall.  
  
"May I see my bride?" he called from the hallway, and the three ladies gasped.  
  
"Of course not!" one of them cried, "You may absolutely NOT! Not until you're married, laddie." The one that was shorter than the rest waddled out of the room, and Wendy heard a feeble smack as she gave Edward a good slap. "Patience, dear, patience is a virtue," she heard her mutter absentmindedly as she hobbled back into the room, a triumphant smile on her face.  
  
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John was walking absentmindedly around the back corridors of the church, contemplating. It was quite relaxing. He was staring at a painting of the Christ when he felt a tap on his shoulder and jumped at least a foot in the air. He whirled around and heaved a huge sigh of relief.  
  
"Oh, thank god, it's only you! I thought for sure...." he trailed off, smiling at the two people standing before him. Peter Pan and the lost boy Slightly were standing before him, Peter back in his traditional leafy garb; Slightly in his very uncomfortable church clothes.  
  
Before either of them could make a wisecrack or smack him on the shoulder or the like, John began interrogating them.  
  
"Peter, you know where the little alcove behind the altar is? Good. Slightly, you've been practicing your fake cry? Good, let's see. Excellent! Remember; make it noticeable enough that people will want to follow you. If no one follows, this doesn't work. Did you make sure Brianne and Edward are somewhere near each other?"  
  
"They've already walked off in the other direction together," Slightly said, smiling slyly, "Courtesy of me, o'course. Couldn't keep their eyes off each other at the party yesterday."  
  
John tousled Slightly's hair fondly, his mischievous and happy nature was contagious. He turned to Peter and picked up where he had left off. "You know what to do after this rascal runs off? Yes? No? Excellent! And you left the kiss? Good, I'm sure she loved that. Now, off you go! Go hide, Peter; Slightly, go take your seat."  
  
Peter was gone in a flash, and Slightly bounded down the hall toward the chapel, where the faint strains of organ music could be heard; which meant that the wedding procession was about to start. John started, remembering that he was the ring bearer, and took off as fast as his legs could carry him.  
  
The wedding was about to begin!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Wendy waited just outside the door to the chapel, holding her father's arm. She felt faint, and clung to her father as though she would give way any second. The lobby of the church was littered with roses and ribbons, and a most magnificent display of tulips hung around the door. Rather tacky crepe paper streamers decorated the vestibule, making it look very small.  
  
When Wendy heard the organ begin to play her hands went clammy, and she began to sweat. She looked over her shoulder and saw John, who gave her an encouraging smile.  
  
This was most definitely the moment she had been dreading for months now, she had never really though it would come, but come it did.  
  
The doors swung open. The chapel was large and elaborately decorated with flurries of roses. Brocaded tapestries hung from the wall, giving the whole place a subdued effect of beauty. They were the kind of things that Wendy would want on the walls of her life, colorful and bold; dangerous even. With a deep breath, Wendy took her first step onto the long white carpet that led to....that led to....  
  
Nothing!  
  
The organ came to a stop as Wendy halted.  
  
There were whispers and mutters in the audience. "Where's the groom?" and "He doesn't have cold feet, does he?" were heard throughout the chapel.  
  
A grin began to break out on Wendy's face, but it was quickly erased when she saw her mother looking straight at her from the audience. She gave Mrs. Darling a confused look and turned back to her search for Edward. Her spirit was elated to the highest level; maybe he had gotten cold feet!  
  
'Not possible,' a voice echoed inside her head. Wendy knew this was true.  
  
Slightly sat quietly in his pew, staring at his feet. He was conjuring the best fake tears he had ever created, and was ready to set the waterworks loose any minute. With a deep breath, he lifted his head slowly.  
  
A wail echoed throughout the chapel. Everyone's head turned to stare at the young boy who was now crying like a baby. There were multitudes of "tsks" that could be heard, and Slightly rose from his pew and ran down the isle, still crying. "Don't marry him, Wendy! Stay at home with us!" he cried as he passed her, and left her standing there with her father, bewildered as could be.  
  
Many of the guests stood up, including Mrs. Darling and Edward's parents, and as they ran past Wendy after Slightly, John and Mr. Darling joined them, Wendy hot at their heels.  
  
Wendy hadn't realized quite how hard it was to run in a dress; especially a wedding dress. She also hadn't realized how many hallways there were in the damn church! By the time they had turned the first corner she was already panting, not sure if she could keep up. "Slightly!" she called desperately, "What on earth is wrong with you?"  
  
Similar cat calls could be heard throughout the hallway, but Slightly's young agility kept him a good few feet in front of everyone else at all times. By the time he came to a halt, everyone was exhausted and panting, trying to catch their breath.  
  
"Why did you follow me?" Slightly inquired, putting on a pair of puppy dog eyes like Wendy had never seen before. "I was just trying to hide in this broom closet....I couldn't BEAR watching you leave us forever, Wendy!" he cried dramatically.  
  
"Oh, but Slightly I...I won't be leaving you, I'll still make you dinner and tell you stories and-"  
  
"I'll have none of it!" Slightly cried dramatically, surprising the crowd that had now assembled in the small corridor. He flung open the door to the closet and gasped dramatically.  
  
"What HAVE we here?" he cried as everyone crowded around the door to take a peek inside. They were greeted with a most shocking sight. Even Wendy had to gasp; she hadn't expected this at all. She even heard some older women faint in the background.  
  
Brianne had Edward pushed up against the wall of the closet. Her dress was unbuttoned in the back, and Edward's usually slick hair was mussed and tousled. He had bright pink lipstick marks all over his face, and looked rather dazed. He squinted from the light. Brianne looked utterly satisfied, she was in the midst of kissing his necking and running her hands through his hair. They broke apart and tripped over each other and fell to the floor when they saw everyone looking into the closet.  
  
"WHAT IS THIS?" Edward's father cried as he pushed his way to the front of the crowd, getting a good look at the scene that lay before them. Edward looked up into his face guiltily, as Brianne quickly stood up and smoothed out her dress. She walked out of the closet and ambled down the hall victoriously, as if nothing had happened. You see, things like these were so common for Brianne that her family had come to expect it; she knew that they would get over it quickly. The Darlings were just like that. Her sisters all patted her on the shoulder in a congratulatory fashion as she passed them.  
  
"Father....Mr. and Mrs. Darling.....I can explain....really, I can!"  
  
But it was too late for apologies. Mrs. Darling walked over to Edward and slapped him good and hard. "THAT'S for making us believe you were right for our daughter!" She turned to Wendy, a look of utmost guilt on her face. "Wendy....darling.....can you ever forgive your father and I? We're so sorry-if we'd had any idea we never would have...."  
  
Wendy smiled and ran to embrace her mother, and in turn gave her father a large hug. She nodded her head apologetically at Edward's father, who had picked Edward up by his ear and was in the midst of dragging him through the now dissipating crowd.  
  
"You will pay dearly for this, you bloody idiot!" he was roaring. He turned to Wendy. "Miss Wendy, I am so....SO sorry about this. I never thought-I never-"  
  
Wendy gave him a pat on the arm. "It wasn't your fault sir," she said, "You couldn't have known. On the contrary, I'm sorry that you have to take that idiot home." He smiled at her appreciatively, and then proceeded to drag Edward down the hall, most likely to give him the ear-boxing of his life. Wend had never felt so downright happy in her entire life!  
  
As the guests walked down the hall they heard whispers of "Well, I guess we can go home now. No wedding's taking place today, that's for bloody sure," and "And he seemed like such an honorable young man too!"  
  
Wendy watched all of this happen as though she was in a dream. She saw John and smiled, mouthing the words 'Thank you' to him before she rushed down the hall and back to chapel. She entered the big room that was now empty and silent. She looked up at the picture of Jesus and laughed.  
  
"Thank you, God, thank you so much!" she cried, twirling around and laughing like a little girl. She froze when she heard a noise coming from behind the altar, though. She stared as she saw a form begin to move behind it.  
  
When the unidentified figure came out from the shadows a huge smiled broke out on Wendy's face.  
  
"Peter!" she cried, "Oh, Peter! You came! I knew you wouldn't let him do it! I just knew it!"  
  
She ran towards the boy clad in green, who was standing next to the altar with an impish grin on his face. When she reached him he wrapped his arms around her, and they stared into each other's eyes for a moment.  
  
"You know I'd never break a promise," he whispered, "What? You actually thought I wouldn't come back to you? You've gone bonkers."  
  
Wendy laughed. "I was silly. I should've known. Now....what are you waiting for? Kiss me, you fool!"  
  
She brought his face to hers and they shared the a kiss that put even their first one to shame, this time knowing that they didn't have to hide it. They were free, in love and most all, happy.  
  
And at that moment, everything was perfect.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
EPILOGUE  
  
Yes, Peter did leave Neverland behind. Yet—he never regretted it. Once in a while he would look to the stars and gaze happily at the second star to the right, knowing that he had had the most perfect childhood anyone could ask for. He would always miss Tinkerbell. But that was childhood.  
  
Peter and Wendy did get married, of course. It was a simple, magical affair, after which Peter finally learned what the term 'sexually attracted' meant. He certainly didn't regret it. Wendy finally had her children, Jane and George, whom their uncle John visited frequently. Peter was relieved that he didn't actually have to go child-hunting.  
  
They bought a lovely Tudor house in a nearby London neighborhood, and quickly became the lovable oddballs of the place. They were free spirited, rather uncouth and hauntingly beautiful and kind people; a bad word was never heard upon their lips.  
  
Peter could be found often wandering through Kensington Gardens in bare feet, staring at the sky. He came there so often that after a while the park keeper handed it over to him when he retired, saying that he wanted the gardens to go to someone who loved nature and plants as much as he loved his wife, which was beyond the scope of the imagination.  
  
I regret to say that Peter and Wendy did grow old. They did die. But they grew old and departed knowing that they had experienced the absolute best childhoods and adulthoods imaginable. Their love grew old together, and when age finally gave way to death....  
  
Well, they began again. They found themselves in Neverland once again, where they remained in eternal childhood bliss, and their young love lasted forever and ever.  
  
And just like before, everything was perfect.  
  
~FIN~  
  
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Afterthoughts: And....it's over. Wow. I can't believe I actually finished my first fic. Um...not much to say. I hope this ending was as powerful for you as it was for me.  
  
I LOVE YOU ALL  
  
~Ellie~  
  
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